Dried small-pelagic fish in Africa: managing today to protect tomorrow
Across African coastal communities, dried anchovies and other pelagic fish are essential for food security and local livelihoods. Yet poor hygiene, overfishing and weak regulation are putting this traditional sector at risk.
Dried fish, especially small pelagic species processed through traditional drying methods, remain one of the most important products for coastal and inland communities across Africa.
At first glance, it looks like a simple and traditional food: affordable, nutritious, easy to preserve and deeply connected to local livelihoods. It supports households, small traders, fish processors and local markets, while remaining one of the most accessible sources of protein for many families.
But behind this apparently simple product lies a much more complex reality: pressure on fish stocks, poor post-harvest handling and serious sanitary risks. These challenges are shared across many coastal regions, from East Africa to West Africa, from inland lake fisheries to Indian Ocean communities.
A fisheries management plan is no longer optional
The future of dried pelagic fish does not require abandoning tradition. It requires managing it better.
A proper fisheries management plan should regulate fishing seasons, protect breeding periods and reduce fishing pressure on juvenile fish below the minimum size for reproduction. According to FAO principles, protecting spawning biomass is essential to guarantee stock renewal and long-term sustainability.
Seasonal closures should therefore be seen not as restrictions, but as investments in future catches and stock recovery.
Licensing systems must also be stronger and more transparent, ensuring that fishing activity remains controlled and traceable. Fishing effort cannot continue expanding without limits if the resource itself is expected to remain productive.
The fisheries management plan should also promote livelihood diversification by providing fishermen and other stakeholders along the value chain with new tools and opportunities to generate additional income. This may include access to alternative fishing gear for different target species, value addition through improved processing and packaging, stronger marketing strategies, and integration with complementary sectors such as coastal tourism, ecotourism and local gastronomy, reducing pressure on small pelagic stocks while strengthening economic resilience.
Hygiene management is as important as fishing management
The problem does not end at sea.
Traditional sun-drying remains an effective preservation method, but poor hygiene conditions often create serious risks for food safety and market value.
Fish dried directly on sand, exposed to dust, insects, domestic animals and contaminated surfaces can quickly lose quality and become unsafe for human consumption. Drying racks made of wood, old nets on the floor, dirty plastic sheets or poorly cleaned containers often become vectors of bacterial contamination.
FAO technical guidance highlights that poor drying surfaces, inadequate storage conditions and exposure to contaminated handling equipment can increase the risk of pathogens such as Salmonella, causing serious food safety problems and reducing market access.
Simple improvements can make a major difference: solar system drying racks, washable and sanitizable surfaces, clean containers, protected drying areas and stronger sanitary inspections.
Improving hygiene means reducing losses, increasing value and protecting public health.
It also means keeping dried fish in the human food chain instead of losing value by being diverted to animal feed.
A small product with a very big future
Dried small-pelagic fish may seem like simple traditional products, but they carry enormous socio-economic potential.
They support food security, women’s livelihoods, coastal resilience and local economies across Africa.
With better fisheries governance, stronger sanitary standards and more practical management tools, this traditional sector could become a real model of sustainable blue economy.
Sometimes it starts by protecting what communities already know how to do well.
Dried small-pelagic fish in Africa: managing today to protect tomorrow
