Dakar, 1is Oct (APS) – Officials, decision-makers, elected officials as well as representatives of fishing organizations, technical and financial partners took part, Tuesday, in Dakar, in the work of a capacity building workshop with a view to better coping to the impacts of vessels fishing on the high seas.
The meeting organized by the National Federation of Economic Interest Groups of Fishing of Senegal (FENAGIE) and its partners is part of a project entitled: ”promoting local capacities to remedy the destabilizing impacts of foreign fishing vessels in the Gulf of Guinea and Mauritania”.
”Monitoring and sustainable management of resources is at the heart of our priorities and the government continues to provide means for sustainable management of fisheries,” declared, on the sidelines of the opening of the workshop , the number 1 technical advisor to the Minister of Fisheries and Infrastructure and Ports, Mamadou Abibou Diagne.
He highlighted the means provided by Senegal over the past twenty years to strengthen the surveillance system.
”Senegal continues to show a desire for a good rational dynamic of resources, to show that the regulation of fisheries in Senegal always ensures the security and sustainability of fisheries resources,” he said.
For his part, the administrative and financial manager of FENAGIE Pêche, Takha Samb, welcomed the efforts of the public authorities in actions to preserve fisheries resources, urging the authorities to further support the efforts of his organization in this regard.
He mentioned the effects of climate change, IUU fishing which causes Senegal to lose at least 150 billion CFA per year.
”All this combined will have the consequences of accentuating the scarcity of marine and coastal resources and the loss of important sources of income, which will exacerbate conflicts between national players in both artisanal and industrial fishing”, he noted in particular.
According to a document provided to the press, this workshop aims to strengthen the capacities of decision-makers and key players in the sustainable management of maritime resources, and more specifically, to deal with the destabilizing impacts of foreign fishing vessels operating along the Gulf of Guinea.
The meeting is organized with the aim of raising awareness among decision-makers on the extent of the impacts of foreign fishing activities, sharing knowledge and experiences on regional and international strategies to combat IUU fishing.
It also seeks to strengthen coordination and cooperation between local, regional and international actors for better governance of marine resources.
Participants are expected to make proposals for practical solutions for improving national and regional policies.
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