European boats are considered to be the main perpetrators of the fishing crisis in Senegal through the plundering of fishing resources. Thus causing a scarcity of fish in the waters of Senegal. An accusation refuted by the European Union which says that European boats have a “minimal” impact on fishing in Senegal.
By Amadou MBODJI – After the publication of the list of fishing boats present in Senegalese waters, the controversy continues to grow. A reassessment of the fishing agreements linking Senegal and the European Union is promised by President Bassirou Diomaye Faye to, he says, restore sovereignty. The Ministry of Fisheries broke Monday with the “opacity” that has long characterized the sector by publishing a list of vessels authorized to fish in Senegalese waters. It lists 132 Senegalese industrial vessels, 19 European vessels and more than 17,400 artisanal canoes.
If foreign fishing vessels are accused of “precarizing” artisanal fishing, the European Union ambassador to Senegal vigorously defends this. He assured, during a press briefing held on Wednesday, that European boats had a minimal impact on the fishing sector in this country. This is a way of responding to accusations that the crisis facing the sector in Senegal is due to the foreign presence in national waters. “The agreement in force since 2019 between the European Union and Senegal, and which ends this year, represents less than 1% of fishing in Senegal,” declared the ambassador of the European Union to Senegal, Jean-Marc Pisani, during a press conference on the EU-Senegal partnership.
Recently elected, President Faye promised to reassess existing fishing agreements. In the Council of Ministers on Wednesday, he called for the revision of the Maritime Fisheries Code and its rigorous application, the audit of the Senegalese flag and the revision of fishing agreements and licenses.
A new agreement to negotiate
The one signed with the EU expires next November. While he recognizes that this agreement arouses “many different perceptions in Senegal,” the diplomat adds that “the European Union has nothing to hide.” “The Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement is public, transparent and available. You will find everything there,” he says.
Faced with competition from foreign, Chinese, European or Russian factory boats, to which some fishing stakeholders blame the scarcity of fish, the approximately 50,000 Senegalese fishermen work mainly on traditional canoes. “European fishermen are allowed to fish a quota of 10 thousand tonnes (per year) under the fishing agreements. They fish 3 thousand (while) the total catch in Senegal is 400 thousand tonnes per year,” indicates Mr. Pisani. “The agreement is supervised by European and Senegalese scientists,” insists the diplomat. They evaluate the resource. “And the Europeans only fish surplus stocks and only two varieties that the Senegalese do not fish, namely tuna and black hake,” according to the diplomat. “In application of these fishing agreements, the European Union pays a fee both for fishing licenses but also to be able to encourage sectoral policy, a cooperation activity that we have with the government of Senegal to the tune of 900 thousand euros per year (more than 591 million CFA francs). In total, the European Union, each year, pays the State of Senegal approximately 1 million 700 thousand euros (More than 1 billion 118 million CFA francs) in exchange for this fishing,” he said.
You should know that fishing directly or indirectly supports around 600,000 Senegalese people for a population of around 18 million.
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