APPENDIX
ORGANIZATION AND ROLE OF A FISHERY TECHNOLOGY SERVICE
FOR AFRICAN INLAND WATERS

1. ORGANIZATION CHART

2. DEFINITION OF THE ROLES OF THE DIFFERENT ELEMENTS ON THE ORGANIZATION CHART

Fishery Technology Training Centres

These training centres undertake training of manpower training and extension staffs and should be situated near the major fishing zones to train agents on a national-wide scale. Multinational-type training may be envisaged under certain conditions; it has the advantage of shared operating costs, for example shared among several neighbouring countries having comparable fisheries. This training work may be organized at several levels (for fishery officers, head technicians, technicians) and should consist in courses both abroad and in other fishing regions. While these training courses will be geared to the level of the agents, it is desirable to have cadres at all levels profit from them.

Fishery Technology Division

The Fishery Technology Division has a triple function:

• definition of work in coordination with the policy of the service in charge of fisheries (relations with the biologists, legislators, etc.);

• organization of field operations (extension work, manpower training, research and experimentation, supply of gear and equipment);

• consultant services for the industries of the production sector (fabrication of nets, fishing vessels, etc.).

Local Fishery Technology Centres

These local centres will be placed directly under the Fishery Technology Division of the Department of Fisheries. Their functions are identical to those of the division but the scope of their work does not go beyond dealing with problems specific to the region where they are located. They are the intermediary agencies between the national division and field operations units.

Research and Experimental Fishing

This is one of the activities of the Fishery Technology Division intended to solve the problems linked principally with the exploitation of resources and the development of new techniques (for example: fishing of pelagic fish on the large reservoirs, making more efficient or more selective gear, contribution to the study of pisciculture problems in enclosures and in cages, etc.).

Fishermen Equipment Supply Centres (situated in fishing areas)

These centres are not necessarily placed hierarchically under the regional technology centres, which nevertheless support them. It seems in fact desirable for the small supply cooperatives to be managed in the long term by the fishermen themselves.

Pilot Extension Work Units (situated in fishing areas)

These are units that come under regional centres and use for demonstration purposes the techniques to be popularized (demonstrations of mounting and utilization of fishing gear, construction of fishing vessels). Here fishermen “leaders” are trained to guide their own people in the organization of fishing.

Itinerant Extension Work Units (in the field)

Charged with maintaining continuous contact with fishermen populations, these units do extension work to familiarize them with new techniques and new organization of production (small groups of fishermen). To ensure these units a maximum chance of success, their objective can initially be combined with aid in the form of supplying of equipment and, possibly, teaching of improved methods of handling and treatment of the fish, with a view to better marketing of fishery products.

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