Guinean EEZ - Ecology

The marine ecosystem off Guinea is a very energetic system under the influence of mangroves and terrestrial input by the coastal rivers, but also influenced by upwelling in the north. The communities of fish that populate the ecosystem have been described by Domain et al. (Eds). Although their intensive exploitation is relatively recent compared with those of neighbouring countries (such as Senegal and Mauritania), today Guinean fisheries resources are regarded as heavily exploited, and in particular the more coastal communities include several stocks that are considered to be overfished. Studies using an ecosystem model (Ecopath and Ecosim) suggest that fishing is the main reason for the observed decline in the abundance of most of the coastal species of this area.