Due to full or overexploitation, fish stocks in most West African fisheries are at risk and fishing must be reduced immediately. So concludes this report, which documents and analyzes fish stocks and the fishing industry in West Africa; examines and evaluates relevant governmental and multinational institutions, training, and donor activities; evaluates the prospects for fisheries development and management in the region; and proposes a corresponding A.I.D. strategy. Specific recommendations for A.I.D. are to: (1) establish a regional pilot fish management program for demersal species of finfish from Morocco to Sierra Leone; (2) create a highest-level seminar for key fishery personnel, mainly in northwest Africa, where infrastructure is most developed; (3) implement a training program at the doctoral, baccalaureate, on-the-job, and extension levels; (4) help reduce postharvest losses and expand the distribution and marketing network by establishing a regional project in the artisanal fisheries which account for 70% of the fish caught by West Africans themselves (60% of the overall catch is by foreign fleets); (5) establish an information system serving both A.I.D. and West African countries; and (6) promote the long-range planning by individual governments needed to actualize the great potential for developing West Africa fisheries. A budget for these activities is included. Appendices include supporting statistics and figures, individual country analyses, and a supporting economic analysis.