Ex-post evaluation of fishery management policies on wildfisheries production in northern Cabo Verde: An example ofmackerel scad (Decapterus macarellus, Carangidae)

Government policies for marine fisheries have been implemented in Cabo Verdesince its independence in 1975, with the aim to prevent overexploitation of wild fishspecies and promote sustainable fishing practices. Nonetheless, only minor amend-ments have been made to the legal harvesting size, considering biological sciences.This study, therefore, adopted a transdisciplinary approach to assess the political,ecological, and social dimensions of current fishery policy interventions applicable tothe commercially valuable pelagic species Decapterus macarellus (mackerel scad). Anex-post analysis of relevant fishery management policies targeting D. macarellus wasconducted. This was supplemented by strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, andthreats (SWOT) analysis conducted by key fisheries stakeholders. Stocks assessmentwas conducted on catch data before (2003–2007) and after (2017–2021) the policyinterventions. This was followed by a survey of 175 fishery sector actors to under-stand their perception of the policies, compliance challenges, and recommendationsfor reforms. Results showed that although the mackerel scad landing size comparablyincreased, landing catches were on the decline. Most fisheries stakeholders are awareof the policies implemented and acknowledge their favorable developmental out-comes. However, certain gaps exist in the national marine fisheries policies. Forexample, there is an absence of follow-up research on implemented fishing policiesand a lack of monitoring data on the ecology and distribution of the mackerel scad,which hinders our understanding of the exact causes of the reported continualdecrease in catches. There is, therefore, a need for regular monitoring of the environ-mental health of coastal and marine habitats to inform prioritization and/or reformu-lation of policy intervention measures to achieve intended conservation outcomes.