Fishbase for Africa
Welcome!
FishBase for Africa is a subset of FishBase with exclusively data on African fresh- and brackish water fishes. The information in this database is validated, revised and updated by the FishBase for Africa Team of the Royal Museum for Central Africa (RMCA) in Tervuren (Belgium).
Click here to enter FishBase for Africa.
The Ichthyology Unit of the RMCA has a more than a century long tradition in biodiversity studies on African fresh- and brackish water fishes. It curates by far the largest collection of African fresh- and brackish water fish species and also holds a unique library focused on the ichthyodiversity of Africa.
The RMCA is a founding member of the FishBase Consortium and has developed a comprehensive FishBase programme including:
- the provision of high quality data on African fishes to scientists and decision makers in Africa by adding and verifying information on African fresh- and brackish water fishes in FishBase and FishBase for Africa;
- an annual and comprehensive training session on the use of FishBase and the taxonomy of African fishes;
- the assessment of the conservations status of African fish species for the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™, in close collaboration with IUCN.
The development of these activities within the museum is a major instrument to directly assist in a better conservation of the African ichthyodiversity and in sustainable management of fisheries.
Latest news
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05/05/2023 The second announcement of the seventh International Conference of the PanAfrican Fish and Fisheries Association, which will be held from 18-22 September 2023 in Brazzaville (Republic of the Congo), is now available. Click here for the English or French version.
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09/03/2023 Daniel Pauly, ocean fisheries expert and one of the "founding fathers" of FishBase, together with economist Rashid Sumaila, was awarded the 2023 Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement, often described as the ‘Nobel Prize for the Environment’. See this link for details.
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22/12/2022
Seventh International Conference of the PanAfrican “African Fish and Fisheries:
Venue: the conference will be held on the premises of the University of Marien Ngouabi, Brazzaville (Republic of the Congo). Date: 18-22 September 2023.
The PAFFA conference is by far the largest one for scientists studying African fishes and many renowned scientists, young researchers and other stakeholders are expected to attend this important meeting. More information on the conference can be found in the first circular of the conference (available in English and French). |
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10/11/2022 The ICP Connect scholarship call for academic year 2023-2024 is now open! VLIR-UOS welcomes scholars to 15 master programmes taught in English at Flemish universities in Belgium. Funding is available for 10 scholars for each of the 15 ICP Connect programmes. Discover the scholarship, the individual Master programmes, and the eligibility and selection criteria on www.vliruos.be/en/icpconnect-scholarships. |
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12/09/2022 The annual meeting of the FishBase Consortium, preceeded by a two day symposium, was organised this year by WorldFish in Penang (Malaysia). The hybrid meeting, with members participating both virtual and in person, is an excellent opportunity to discuss last year's progress and future challenges, and to strenghten relationships between the increasingly numerous partner institutions.
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30/05/2022 From 07/03 to 27/05 the RMCA organised the 18th session of the annual training in fish taxonomy and on the use of FishBase. Five African ichthyologists from Benin, Burkina Faso, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Madagascar succesfully completed their training.
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2/05/2022 From two to twelve: a team of Belgian researchers has described ten new species of small predatory fish from Lake Edward. Scientists have long suspected that this lake between the DR Congo and Uganda is home to exceptional fish diversity. More information here. To download the publication, click here.
Dominant male of the new species Haplochromis glaucus. |
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27/01/2022 Musschoot T., Boden G. and Snoeks J., 2021. Identification guide to the Clupeiformes of the inland waters of Africa. Zoological Documentation Series, Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren. 149p. Clupeiformes are one of the most economically important fish groups in the world. This guide focusses on the clupeiform species from the African inland waters, including Madagascar and the islands between Madagascar and mainland Africa. |
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