The fisheries sector of any country has huge potentials in the promotion of sustainable livelihoods of the people.

It helps to enhance the multiple social structures of families by providing them with opportunities such as food and employment. Livelihoods are diversified and adapted to seasonal and environmental changes. Enhancing such diversity will minimise risks, reduce vulnerability and reduce dependence on non-cultured resources. It is important to promote livelihood strategies that include elements of accessibility, diversity and stability, rather than emphasising on only rice production potential alone.

People’s participation in the promotion of their own livelihoods from their territorial water resources is key for sustainable management of aquatic resources in development. Because livelihoods in Africa are so closely linked to natural resources, local people are the most logical entry point into sustainable management. Due to their daily interaction with these resources, the local people tend to know more about their status better than most outsiders and they can provide a valuable mechanism for long-term management. This level of participation is only possible when local people have an active role in managing the fisheries sector themselves.

In The Gambia, however, such priorities have been an ongoing process, where fishing centres are handed to the local people themselves to manage. People will only be able to consider the long-term perspective required for sustainable management of the fisheries sector when their immediate needs for health and well-being are met. The Gambian fishing centres have been undergoing rigorous developments with community fishing centres in almost all the country’s major fishing sites.

The lack of food security is one of the major constraints to enhancing people’s livelihoods. People who have poor diets typically suffer from ill-health and are unable to contribute to local development. Many people settling around the coastal areas used to derive most of their living from the sea. Even when they do not have enough money to last throughout the year, the sector can help them constantly cope with those shortages. These households are often highly dependent upon natural resources to overcome their fending deficits.

Any improvements in the health and nutrition status of rural people will have wide reaching impacts and make a significant contribution to poverty alleviation. Cross-sect oral interventions to address the interconnected issues of health and nutrition should emphasize nutritional quality and behavior aspects of food security. Health interventions, including awareness creation that will cover nutritional issues on fish and fisheries products for women and children will also have great impact.

Fish are also very important vitamins providers that are necessary to keep the body healthy. Vitamins A and D, which are found in fish liver oils, are in small amounts in the fatty tissues of fish. Seafood is generally low in fat, and we usually don't consume fish liver oils; therefore, seafood is not considered a significant source of the fat-soluble vitamins. There is little Vitamin C found in seafood, but it is considered an excellent source of the B complex vitamins, particularly niacin, B12 and B6. Thiamine is also found in seafood but in fair amounts.

Seafood is also an excellent source of minerals. Fish are one of the most important sources of calcium. The soft bones of small fish such as sardines and smelts and canned varieties like salmon are especially valuable sources of calcium. Other minerals in seafood include Zinc (oysters and crustaceans), Iron (oysters, bluefish, and shrimp), Copper (oysters, crabs, and lobster), Potassium (mussels, scallops, and clams), Iodine, Phosphorus, and Selenium. Fresh seafood is low in sodium. For those who have to restrict the intake of sodium, fresh seafood is an excellent choice; although they should limit their intake of processed seafood such as smoked, cured, and most canned seafood. Salt is added in the processing of these seafood products as it is in imitation seafood products.

Cholesterol is also a substance found in the blood and the cells of the body. Its level is not significant in most seafood products. Finfish are generally quite low in cholesterol, with shellfish having low to moderate amounts. In the past, shellfish have been excluded from low cholesterol diets because they were believed to be high in cholesterol. New sophisticated measuring techniques have indicated that cholesterol levels of many molluscan shellfish are much lower than was previously thought.

In fact, molluscs, such as clams, oysters, scallops, and mussels were found to have a large percentage of non-cholesterol sterols present that appear to have a positive effect. These sterols inhibit the absorption of cholesterol eaten at the same meal. Cholesterol levels in such crustaceans as crab sand lobsters are similar to that found in the dark meat of chicken. While the cholesterol in shrimp varies considerably by specie, it generally is 1-1/2 to 2 times higher than in the dark meat of chicken, but far less than in eggs. Because shellfish contain very little saturated fat, they are no longer excluded from typical low cholesterol diets.