The extensive coral reefs and ornamentals stocks along the coastline of African member states are a valuable wealth of African natural resources. They have a potential to provide an important source of jobs, income, tourism, economic growth, livelihoods and food for a large proportion of the African’s communities. Africa supports globally significant marine and freshwater ornamental fisheries biodiversity that is being challenged by random, unorganized fishing practices. Ornamental fisheries trade and market transformation through certification of African fish in the global trade arena can ensure the sustainability, biodiversity conservation, reef management, protected areas and reef restoration of African ornamental fisheries - thereby contributing to poverty alleviation, sustainable livelihoods and food security in the continent.

Currently, there is no overarching system for tracking species-level exploitation import/ export data for the ornamental trade. The deficiency of a comprehensive and overarching data relating to the global ornamental fish production and trade hinders progress toward its effective management. We believe that access to more accurate data will allow for increased public engagement in trade sustainability and guide responsible trade management. These data can stimulate actions towards supporting consumer education, addressing challenges such as misidentification, and species management. Ideally this will result in greater sustainability. This is exacerbated by the lack of standardized record keeping between different countries. Coupled with this is the fact that existing data systems are either overly general, based on declaration forms (LEMIS), or specific to the trade of rare and threatened species (CITES).

The AU-IBAR, within the framework of Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program (CAADP), the African Union Agenda 2063 and the Policy Framework and Reform Strategy for fisheries and aquaculture in Africa, has initiated a number of actions aimed at the promotion and exploitation of ornamental fisheries trade, sustainable  management and conservation of these valuable resources. These initiatives include 1) capacity building of stakeholders to develop certified ecosystem management; 2) ensuring there is research and scientific assessment and monitoring of coral reefs and ornamentals stocks for management; 3) establishing no-take zones and reef and stock restoration; 4) capacity building of ornamental species collectors to become certified; 5) increasing the financial resources and business skills for collectors to participate in a sustainable trade; 6) increasing the participation of exporters, x African Union – Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources importers, and retailers in certification; 7) control unregulated fish collection activities on large areas of coral reef in many African countries to ensure the long-term protection of the reef fish resources and sustainability of the trade, and 8) raising the awareness of, and demand for, certified ornamentals among consumers. These initiatives are very important and act as a baseline for the opportunity to formulate a framework for the exploitation and trade in ornamental fish species in Africa and thus will be acted upon quickly. In order to ensure the successful development of future ornamental fish trade in Africa, there is urgent need to develop a regulatory framework, effective management guidelines and to enforce regulation at a local, national and continental level to ensure long-term sustainability of the ornamental fish trade.

This consultancy report presents an investigation into the ornamental fish trade in Africa and its global potential. It includes a diagnosis of the African and global trade, gathering data about the current status and management of the ornamental fish trade and the socio-economic impacts associated with the trade. A preliminary field study of the biological and socioeconomic impacts on coastal communities is also included.