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A key factor, at the international level, in the elaboration of the Policy Framework Document on Fisheries and Aquaculture (DOCPA) was Guinea's inclusion in 2013 in the European Union's list of non-cooperating third countries in fighting illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. This acted as a trigger for reforms towards more sustainable use of resources and action to combat IUU fishing. Guinea was delisted and declared to be in conformity in July 2016.

Efforts were made, inter alia, to assess the status of stocks, which served as a basis for the annual plans for the development and management of fisheries. (…) Thanks to these various campaigns, it was possible to calculate the biomass and determine the exploitable potential in a scientific manner.

(...) In April 2017, within the framework of its "Hope in West Africa" ship tour conducted in West African waters against IUU fishing, the NGO Greenpeace International produced a damning report on fisheries activities in the seas off Conakry following its deep-sea expeditions. Most of the vessels boarded for illegal fishing were Chinese-owned, reflecting the fact that, according to the authorities, in 2017 the industrial fishing fleet was composed mainly of Chinese vessels.

The Aquaculture and the Maritime Economy (MPAEM) did nevertheless strive to enforce the regulations. Surveillance was strengthened, with round-the-clock satellite observation, and periodic deployment of air surveillance. Fines were increased. All these measures appear to have helped reduce IUU fishing to some extent. Nonetheless, all available reports confirm that in 2017 a large proportion of the vessels present in Guinea's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) were fishing illegally, most of them in the area officially set aside for small-scale fishing, from which they are banned, and this is liable to lead to the demise of small-scale fishing boats and overfishing of small-scale fishing areas.

Guinea modernized its legislative framework for fisheries in 2015. Fisheries activities are governed by the following new texts, available on the MPAEM's official website , which take into account the fundamental principles of the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries and the principal relevant conventions on sustainable management of resources:
• Decree No. D/2013/127/PRG/SGG of 25 July 2013 on the creation, organization, mission and functioning of the National Office for the Sanitary Control of Fishery and Aquaculture Products (ONSPA) (Section 3.3.3);
• Law No. 2015/026/AN of 14 September 2015 containing the Marine Fisheries Code;
• Law No. 2015/027/AN of 14 September 2015 containing the Inland Fisheries Code; and
• Law No. 2015/028/AN of 14 September 2015 containing the Aquaculture Code.

(...) In principle, any fishing authorization is subject to having a CNSP observer placed on board the ship. The Plan specifies the status of the resource, annual catch quotas, and fee schedules. The 2016 Fisheries Plan revealed that some species have become more abundant as a result of the stricter biological recovery and surveillance measures taken in 2014 and 2015.

At the regional level, several bodies share the goal of conservation, development and rational exploitation of fisheries resources: the Ministerial Conference on Fisheries Cooperation among African States Bordering the Atlantic Ocean, established by the Dakar Convention of 1991; the Fisheries Committee for the West Central Gulf of Guinea; the Subregional Fisheries Commission; and the Regional Fisheries Committee for the Gulf of Guinea. These bodies were all active in 2017.

Mining operations have an adverse impact on the protection of natural resources. The gold, bauxite and diamond industry has dangerously affected plant cover and water and soil resources, through various types of pollution and disruption. Small-scale gold mining continues to inflict enormous damage on forest cover, the soil and the subsoil, even to the extent of causing water resources to dry up. In view of the harm and risks, and if the current trend is not reversed, Guinea could seriously compromise the balance of its water systems to the detriment of its own population, present or future.

The measures taken to counter the impact of mining operations on the environment are listed in the Mining Code (Articles 22, 26, 30, 142, 143, 144, etc.) and the Environment Code and, more specifically, are set out in detail in the Code's environmental directives, namely: an environmental impact notice; an environmental impact study published in hard copy; and a resettlement and compensation plan. These documents are validated by the Technical Committee for Environmental Analysis. Follow-up of the environmental management plans is ensured by the Ministry of the Environment.

(…) In 2016, hydroelectric power represented 88% of production, and conventional thermal plants 12%. Renewable energies are not as yet used.