The approach of fishery managers to conservation and management
in developing countries frequently appears to be driven by the
perceived need for stock assessment, rather than by the need to
implement the most effective management regime possible, based on
what is feasible and affordable, given the nature of the fishery and the
human resources available [3,16]. This mismatch partially arises from
the fact that the fishery managers and scientists were educated in the
west or received training on management approaches used in the
developed countries [2,3], which are research intensive and requires
substantial fund beyond the capacity of most developing countries
and finally these approaches do not necessarily fit the context of
fisheries of the developing countries. The provisions of the Code of
Conduct for Responsible Fisheries as they relate to the uncertainties
and the lack of data in the developing countries, recommend adopting
the precautionary approach to fisheries management [17]. Management
tools within this suggested approach do not require much data
to formulate, are easy to monitor and easy to enforce with limited
expertise and funding requirements. The code also stresses the
importance of research and capacity building for those countries