During three days (23-25 July) a number of representatives from government agencies and  environmental organizations from West and Central Africa attended the first meeting of the Abidjan Aquatic Wildlife Partnership. This meeting was held in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, and we shared our experiences from ongoing projects in São Tomé and Príncipe. We presented results on consumption and harvest of multiple species (e.g. sharks and rays) on Principe Island collected by the "Omali Vida Nón" project, as well as activities related to the conservation of sea turtles carried out by the Protetuga project (Principe) and Tatô Program (São Tomé). We hope this will be the beginning of a strong and successful partnership for the Protection, Management and Development of Coastal and Marine Environments of the Atlantic Coast of the West, Central and Southern Africa Region.

​From the 28th of May until the 8th of June we did the first histological analysis of the gonad samples of Lutjanus fulgens that had been collected in Principe during April and May 2018. This is part of the fish maturity study conducted in partnership with Forever Principe, so as to better understand the reproductive biology of this predatory species and inform fisheries management. The histological analysis was conducted at Prof. Charles Tyler’s lab at the University of Exeter, under the supervision of Dr. Anke Lange. Samples are fixed in wax, sliced in the microtome and stained on haematoxylin-eosin, and then analysed on the microscope. Through this analysis we aim to validate the macroscopic assessment of the maturity of the gonads done in the field and understand the gonad development and maturation for this understudied species.