E:\chris\BGRP\Publications\FISHGENR.doc Last printed 3/3/2003 3:53 PM Last saved by Randy [to add # of African languages, # of African common names for fish] FISH GENETIC RESOURCES OF AFRICA Roger S.V. Pullin 1 , Christine M.V. Casal 1 and Randall Brummett 2 Abstract According to the definitions in the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), genetic resources are genetic materials of actual or potential value. Africa has immense genetic resources in terms of the fish species that are used in marine and inland fisheries, in aquaculture, in the aquarium trade and for other purposes. Many other species feed such target species and help to maintain their environments. Over 6,400 finfish species are indigenous to Africa: over 2,600 in freshwaters, the rest brackish or marine. Over 900 are used in commercial fisheries, over 100 in aquaculture and over 1,000 in the aquarium trade. Alien fish species have been introduced to Africa and, according to CBD definitions, where these have developed distinctive properties they might now considered as genetic resources originating in the recipient countries. This paper reviews the information available on African fish genetic resources and the knowledge gaps, based mainly on an electronic encyclopedia for fish, FishBase. The screening of unutilized or underutilized species for their potential, especially for aquaculture, is also discussed and suggestions are given for actions to promote the conservation and sustainable use of African fish genetic resources. Introduction There is a large body of literature and a large, though highly dispersed, body of traditional knowledge on the fishes of Africa. There are, however, large knowledge gaps concerning the fishes of some parts of Africa. For example, Teugels et al. (1994) pointed out that, despite a strengthening of knowledge on the fishes of much of Africa, those of Central Africa, including the Zaïre river basin, are less well known. Moreover, in this era of rapid climatic, economic and political change, there is an ongoing and continent-wide need for up-to-date information on African fishes. Despite the availability of major scholarly works on marine fishes (e.g., Smith, J.L.B. 1965), Africa seems to be, unlike most others, a continent for which freshwater fishes have been more studied than marine species, at least in terms of their systematics and ecology. Lévêque (1997) has shown this with a very substantial overview of issues that affect the abundance and diversity of Africa freshwater fishes, drawing upon a vast body of literature. This preponderance of work on African inland fish and fisheries probably derives from: 1. their intimate association with the single most important natural resource for all food production in Africa (other than saltwater fisheries: QUESTION FROM RANDY: How do marine fisheries compare to rice and maize production?), i.e., freshwater itself and 2. the importance of freshwater fish as food for humans throughout most of Subsaharan - Africa. There is also a wealth of information on African brackishwater fishes (Teugels et al. 1994). 1 International Center for Living Aquatic Resources Management (ICLARM) MC PO Box 2631, 0781 Makati City, Philippines 2 ICLARM Aquaculture Project, P.O. Box 229, Zomba, Malawi 03/03/03 3:53 PM 1