Diversity of Angolan fishes
Angola remains one of the least explored countries in Africa from an ichthyological point of view. The Angolan fisheries institute INIP approached SAIAB at the end of 2005 to discuss possibilities of doing aquatic biodiversity surveys in collaboration with its staff, in order to get a better understanding of the fish diversity and fisheries potential of the country. Very little is known about the distribution and relationships of Angolan fishes, and collaboration between INIP and SAIAB will not only address this, but also build human resources to study and manage the aquatic biodiversity in Angola. SAIAB aims to work through its collaboration with INIP to assess the fish diversity and fisheries potential of Angola through a phased approach. The highest priority for INIP is the Kwanza River system close to Luanda. Thereafter, other regions will be explored as funding becomes available and as the collaboration grows. SAIAB and INIP has signed an MOU and agreed on a strategic framework for the collaboration.
Our current research phase is funded by the the National Research Foundation (South Africa).