Women shellfishers are largely concentrated within the 6,304-hectare Tanbi Wetland Complex, where there is a Cockle and Oyster Fishery Co-Management Plan for the Tanbi Special Management Area developed with the support of the USAID/BaNafa project and gazetted in 2013. This plan delegates exclusive use rights to the oyster and cockle fishery in the Tanbi to the TRY Oyster Women’s Association. Other shellfishery areas include the Alahein River Estuary on the border with Southern Senegal and mangrove ecosystems in the Niumi National Park on the North Bank, as well as Gambia River estuarine mangrove ecosystems further up the river (i.e., Bullock and Bintang). Although the co-management plan has an annual 8-month closed season and other measures, excessive harvesting during the open season has been prevalent over the years in Tanbi and Alahein. There are no daily harvest quotas set, harvesting is not monitored, and the number of harvesters continually increases with no plans to reduce the harvesting effort. This has resulted in a decline in stocks and the migration of some harvesters to other less populated oyster harvesting sites without overexploitation. The lack of monitoring in The Gambia’s shellfisheries raises concern as there is no evidence to determine whether harvest strategies are sustainable, and there are no harvest control rules.

All resource users interviewed in a study on estuarine and mangrove ecosystem-based shellfisheries in The Gambia were engaged in harvesting, processing, trading, and consumption. About 98% of the total number of shellfishers estimated in each community (98% were female) were said to engage in harvesting, processing, trading, and consumption. This indicates a highly vertically integrated value chain with women harvesters dominating almost exclusively at every node. This implies that value chain improvements at any node can directly benefit women harvesters and create an opportunity to incentivize behaviour change for sustainable resource management.

Oyster catch value per harvester operating within the Tanbi Wetland Complex is much higher than that of those operating in the hinterland. A cup of oyster meat (63 grams) within the Tanbi costs fifty Gambian dalasi (D50.00), approximately one US dollar (US $1.00). In contrast, a cup of oyster meat costs D30.00, approximately US 00.60 cents in the hinterland. Cockle harvesting is dominantly undertaken within the Alahein River estuary, specifically in Kartong, where catch value is estimated between US dollars, $5.00 and $15.00 per person daily. Shellfishers in The Gambia face challenges such as reduced catches, reduced income, unhygienic conditions of work at landing sites, lack of value addition, and limited capacity building on management, conservation, and financial management.

Recommendations for actions for improvement of shellfisheries in Th Gambia include;

• Strengthen associations on organisational management and support informal ones to become formal. Create awareness on the legal instruments mentioned in the report.

• Review existing or former family oyster culture outcomes and recommend more profitable and sustainable ventures.

• Train shellfishers in financial management, hygiene, and sanitation.

• Re-introduce credit and savings previously undertaken based on lessons learned as there was a lack of trust coupled with lack of knowledge on financial management reported by members.

• Strengthen the 8-month closed season.

• Support sustainable, diversified, and alternative livelihoods.

• Strengthen the seasonal shellfish closure enforcement and other regulations to ensure compliance by shellfishers, fishermen, and commercial mangrove dealers.

• Empower shellfish harvesters to take control of shellfish and mangrove stewardship within their communities through co-management plans.

• Expand the oyster and cockle co-management plan to cover all shellfish landing sites and add other shellfish to the co-management plan.

• Promote annual mangrove regeneration and restoration.

• Train residents along mangrove areas on water quality management.

• Support construction of shellfish markets and provide preservation facilities to reduce post-harvest losses and selling at low prices.

• Develop a communication plan under this project to facilitate networking and skills transfer.

• Organize study tours locally and externally between project beneficiary countries.