DAKAR, Senegal — Overfishing by international vessels is decimating fish shares within the West African country of Senegal, which is in flip fueling migration to Spain, based on a report launched Tuesday.
The Environmental Justice Basis, a London-based group specializing in environmental and human rights points, mentioned unlawful overfishing and damaging practices by international vessels are chargeable for elevated irregular migration to Spain. It primarily based its conclusions on interviews with fishermen in Spain and Senegal and its prior analysis on international overfishing.
The group discovered that 57% of fish shares in Senegal are in a “state of collapse,” with international vessels enjoying a big function in declining numbers. Its evaluation confirmed 43.7% of licensed vessels in Senegal are foreign-controlled, predominantly of Spanish and Chinese language origin.
As fish populations dwindle, native fishermen are going through revenue loss, and plenty of have turned to migration as a final resort. Fishing is a vital financial sector in Senegal that employs 3% of the workforce.
Irregular migration to the Canary Islands virtually doubled in 2024, based on the Spanish Inside Ministry, reaching 46,843. Whereas precise figures aren’t recognized resulting from a ignorance on departures from West Africa, Senegal is without doubt one of the high three nationalities of arrivals to the Spanish islands.
The Atlantic route from West Africa to the Canary Islands is without doubt one of the deadliest on the earth. The Spanish migrant rights group Strolling Borders estimates the victims had been within the 1000’s final yr.
Migrants and former fishermen within the Canary Islands instructed the Environmental Justice Basis that the treacherous journey to Spain was a final resort, a manner to supply for households when fishing in Senegal may now not put meals on the desk.
“If I used to be in a position to achieve sufficient cash in fishing, I might by no means have come to Europe,” mentioned Memedou Racine Seck.
Native activists in Senegal have voiced their frustration with international overfishing and its contribution to the migration disaster. Karim Sall, President of AGIRE, a Senegalese group working within the Joal-Fadiouth marine protected space, condemned international nations for his or her function within the disaster.
“I get so indignant when (international nations) complain about immigration as a result of they’re the true pirates and what they did is worse than clandestine immigration. It’s theft, plundering our sources to feed their very own inhabitants whereas we endure,” mentioned Sall.
Industrial international fleets, a lot of which use backside trawling methods, are exacerbating the disaster. These vessels drag heavy nets throughout the seafloor, indiscriminately catching younger fish and destroying marine ecosystems like seagrass and coral reefs, that are very important for fish replica. In consequence, fish shares are unable to recuperate, deepening the hardships of native fishing communities and eaters. Fish performs an necessary function in meals safety in Senegal, particularly for protein consumption. Resulting from declining fish shares, consumption per capita in Senegal has fallen from 29 kilograms per yr to 17.8 kilograms per individual.
The report additionally pointed to an absence of transparency in fishing licenses and insufficient authorities administration of fisheries as contributing components. Regardless of efforts by the Senegalese authorities to handle the disaster, consultants warn that with out stricter rules on industrial international fleets, the state of affairs will worsen.
Migrant and former fisherman Souleymane Sady, who arrived within the Canary Islands in 2020, summed up the state of affairs fishermen in Senegal face: “For the reason that authorities can’t regulate the boats and we can’t work usually, we select to run away from the nation to return for stability,” he mentioned.
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