Since 1995 South African, Namibian and Angolan marine scientists have been working together on stock assessment surveys of hake and pilchard in the Benguela ecosystem, named for the cold current off the southwest coast of southern Africa, writes Jean Le May in Cape Town.

They called their project BENEFIT (Benguela Environment Fisheries Interaction and Training) and is concentrated on straddling stocks of demersal and pelagic fish that in the past attracted fleets from all over the world.

Recently the Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem (BCLME) project was established, with the support of the Global Environment Facility of the United Nations Development Programme. Funded to the tune of $38 million by the three countries and the UN, the project will work towards a Benguela Current Commission to manage the ecosystem as a whole. Co-ordinator, Dr Mick O'Toole, said that the commission's brief would include both renewable and non-renewable resources. The effect of extensive marine mining for diamonds and natural gas in the region would come in for special attention, he said.

Joint surveys of fish stocks, using local research vessels and a Norwegian ship, the Fridjof Nansen, have been completed as a precursor to establishing operational management procedures for straddling hake stocks in the region, said Dr O'Toole.

Horst Kleinschmidt, head of the South African fisheries authority said: "We intend playing a bigger role in the sub-region by providing services to the Benguela programmes. They require scientists and instead of recruiting them from Europe and elsewhere, we will build South African capacity to fill the need. A similar programme will, in time, unfold on the east coast of southern Africa, involving at least five countries."