The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has recently released a Trade and Environmental Review (TER). The review presents a broad overview of three contemporaneous main issues facing fisheries and aquaculture with a strong focus on sustainability. These include

1. international and regional frameworks for sustainable fisheries;

2. trade in sustainable fisheries and aquaculture; and

3. harmful incentives, particularly fisheries subsidies.

This trade brief presents a summary of the most salient features of this report and also details pertinent African export data focusing on fisheries and aquaculture.

Africa is still a minor player in the fisheries sector but with a rapidly expanding population it can start playing an increasingly more important role in the sector as it adapts to climate change, issues of food security, and a developing economy. This calls for greater multilateral cooperation as countries seek to sustainably develop, especially within the context of the new Sustainable Development Goals where fisheries play a fundamental role.

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