Fcur/F0.1: Ratio between the observed fishing mortality coefficient during the last year of the series and F0.1.
Fcur/FMSY: Ratio between the observed fishing mortality coefficient during the last year of the series and the coefficient that would give a maximum sustainable yield over the long term.
Bcur/B0.1: Ratio between the estimated biomass for the last year and the biomass corresponding to F0.1.
Bcur/BMSY: Ratio between the estimated biomass for the last year and the biomass corresponding to FMSY.
Unless otherwise indicated, the indicators were based on the Schaefer dynamic production stock assessment model.

Sardinellas caught in the southern CECAF area from Guinea to Angola are composed of two species, round sardinella (Sardinella aurita) and flat sardinella (Sardinella maderensis), however they are commonly not distinguished in catch reporting. The surveys carried out in the CECAF area show that sardinella is found in a vast area stretching from the North to South of all area. For the moment, the FAO/CECAF Working Group has agreed on the existence of four stocks for these two species in the southern CECAF area: northern zone (Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia), western zone (Côte d’Ivoire, Togo, Ghana, Togo and Benin), central zone (Nigeria and Cameroon) and southern zone (Gabon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Congo and Angola) areas (Figure 2.1.1).

CATCH AND EFFORT: -NORTHERN STOCK- The two species of sardinella are caught all year round with peak periods in January–May and September–December. The peak catches coincide with the upwelling periods in the area. Fishing effort on sardinella is from the artisanal and industrial sectors. The artisanal effort for Guinea is the largest in the region and is presented in Table 2.2.2 and Figure 2.2.2a and Figure 2.2.2b. There has been a general increasing trend in catches of this stock since 1994. Fishing effort for this stock from individual fleets of countries in the north shows a general increasing trend. However, since 2002 effort for demersal trawlers in Guinea showed a general declining trend.
CPUE: The CPUE for the artisanal and industrial fisheries was calculated separately for the two sardinella species (S. aurita and S. maderensis) and stocks. Owing to data collection bottlenecks, the two sardinella species are not reported separately for the northern stock (Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone and Liberia); where they are reported as Sardinella spp. Therefore, the CPUE for Sardinella spp. was also calculated. The two species were also combined to harmonize assessment for the south and central stocks (Figure 2.3.1a, Figure 2.3.1b, Figure 2.3.1c, Figure 2.3.1d, Figure 2.3.1e, and Figure 2.3.1f, and Table 2.3.1a, Table 2.3.1b, and Table 2.3.1c).
-NORTHERN STOCK- Guinea-Bissau displays the highest CPUE in the region with a general increasing trend from 2000 to 2017. The CPUE for Liberia’s industrial fisheries shows a fluctuating trend with a peak in 2003 (Figure 2.3.1e, Figure 2.3.1f, and Table 2.3.1c). However catch and effort data was not updated from 2013-2017. The CPUE for Liberia’s artisanal fisheries increased to 2004 and then after declined to 2017 except 2007 where the CPUE was high. CPUE for Guinea and Sierra Leone was not estimated as there was no effort data and catch and effort data for this stock for Guinea and Sierra Leone respectively.

Assessment year: 2018
The CECAF Working Groups have adopted the following Biological Reference Points (BRPs):
- Limit Reference points: BMSY and FMSY
- Target Reference Points: B0.1 and F0.1
Stock status is assigned based on current estimates of fishing mortality (Fcur) and biomass (Bcur) relative to these target and limit reference points (Bcur/BMSY, Fcur/FMSY, Bcur/B0.1, Fcur/F0.1). The results from the stock assessment of this stock are found under the “Biological state and trend section”.