Supply chain in the fisheries sector in Mauritania and its impact on the livelihoods

Abstract

This paper uses data from the Mauritanian fishing industry and fisheries value to examine how government policies in the sector are affecting the livelihood of Mauritanians, and in what ways that affects the sustainability of the fisheries industry. The government currently generates revenue from licensing fees, but it is investing less in the sector missing value-added, which is transferred to other locations outside of the country such as Las Palmas and European cities. The overselling of fishing royalties, coupled with the dangers of climate change, and the risk of food insecurity in the country, cause the nation to face possible environmental and social disaster. This paper introduces policy recommendations that can allow Mauritania to capture more value-added within the country and create additional jobs in the industry. It finds that if Mauritania improves its storage capacity and processing from 30% to 50%, it could potentially increase the value-added in the industry by $563,460,000, translating to five incremental jobs for every USD million created.