The two consultants worked for six months, from mid-March to mid-September 1974, each in two consecutive periods, doing similar work for a separate group of countries fishing in the CECAF region. After a period of about two weeks studying data available at FAO Headquarters they visited the following countries: German Democratic Republic, Ghana, Italy, Mauritania, Nigeria, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Senegal and Spain (including the Canary Islands). Visits to Greece and the U.S.S.R. were also planned but it has not yet been found possible to carry them out. It is also envisaged to shortly undertake additional trips to Gambia, the Ivory Coast, Liberia and Sierra Leone. The list of countries to be visited was drawn up according to national catch volume and the quantity and value of unreported data expected to be available locally. Although the number of countries that it was initially planned to visit is only about one third of those that actually fish in the region, their cumulative catch makes up more than 70 percent of regional production (1972). A substantial amount of data was obtained in most of the countries visited. Furthermore, raw material was often located and arrangements for their prompt processing and subsequent reporting to CECAF of elaborated data were made with national offices concerned.
For each country, including those that were not visited, a detailed report on data availability (data known to CECAF, additional data likely to be available in the country) was prepared. Such reports spot gaps in the statistics of individual countries. They were submitted, to the countries in question with letters requesting submission of missing data.
National data thus acquired are being processed and tabulated by the Fishery Data Centre of the FAO Department of Fisheries. As additional statistics expected from the various countries are received, a complete set of national data will be sent to each country for revision and additions wherever necessary. When all national tables have been returned to FAO, they will be automatically merged in the Regional Statistical Bulletin which is to be issued during the second half of 1975.
