An article by PAULE KADJA TRAORE
A journalist for over 14 years, Paule specialises in environmental news. She is director of the general news website AbenaTV and coordinator of the Senegalese daily newspaper Le Mandat. She is also communications officer for the women's network for climate justice (RECODEF Senegal) and producer and presenter of a programme on the environment on Walf TV, a private Senegalese television channel.
On this sunny afternoon in May, Kayar's fishing landing site is teeming with people. The beach is transformed into a noisy market fair. The sea breeze caresses our faces. Its attendants, mostly women, are trying to make their way to the few pirogues that have just come ashore. These are traditional wooden boats with brightly coloured sides, decorated with frescoes depicting the religious leaders of Senegalese Muslim brotherhoods.
Artisanal fishing is the main activity in Kayar, a village 60 km north of Dakar. The women sit on the fine sand of the beach waiting for hours for the pirogues to arrive. Porters are responsible for unloading the boxes of fish. Today, there are fewer than usual. They are bought by the fishmongers, then transported by horse-drawn carts or refrigerated lorries. Some of the fish is sold on the country's various markets and some is exported to the West African sub-region.
"During the last census carried out in 2020, 1302 pirogues were counted, including 121 purse seines. To these must be added 140 pirogues awaiting registration to obtain a licence", says the coordinator of the Kayar Artisanal Fishing Local Council (CLPA, in its French acronym). Mor Mbengue is a young fisher who tried three times to immigrate illegally to Spain by sea. After failing several times, he gave up and returned to the family pirogue to devote himself to fishing. It was in 2021 that he was nominated and elected to head the Kayar CLPA. "The number of pirogues in Kayar can approach 2,000 with the arrival of seasonal workers. And there are just over 8,000 fishermen during the season from December to June," says Mor Mbengue.
According to figures from the Kayar fishing department, in 2020, almost 5.4 million tonnes of fish of all species were landed. This is worth 2.4 billion CFA francs (€3.6 million). "The waters of Kayar, reputed to be full of fish, are therefore coveted by fishers from several regions of Senegal and even from the sub-region. This puts considerable pressure on the resource and is a source of conflict that is often difficult to manage.”
This was the case in March 2023, when one fisher was killed and several were injured following clashes between fishers from Kayar and their colleagues from Mboro (a fishing village in the same region). The Mboro fishers wanted to use monofilament nets in the Kayar sector. The use of these nets has been banned since 1998 under Senegal's Fishing Code. The CLPAs were set up by the government to enforce this law and prevent conflicts.
The CLPA, an effective fisheries co-management body in Kayar
The State of Senegal, through the Ministry of Fisheries and the Maritime Economy, issued a decree (Number 9077) in October 2010 to create, organize, and operate Artisanal Fishing Local Councils (Conseils Locaux de Pêche Artisanale, in French). The role of the CLPAs is to give an opinion on any matter referred to them by the Minister in charge, and to organise local fishermen. The aim, we are told, "is to prevent, reduce and resolve conflicts at local level in the first instance, and to participate in the monitoring, control and surveillance of fishing and related activities." This work is carried out in conjunction with local and national structures.
The Kayar CLPA is organised by trades. There are therefore representatives from different “trade colleges”: purse seine fishers, single-line fishers, fishmongers, and women fish processors. The state is represented by the fisheries department, which provides secretarial and administrative services. Each college representative is an intermediary for the CLPA in his or her sector of activity. The different members regularly take part in the various awareness-raising campaigns on different themes.
These include the danger of catching juvenile fish, the abandonment of the use of illegal fishing nets, or denouncing aggressors of the maritime coast, particularly those who use monofilament nets. "When the government wants to talk to the fishing community, the CLPA is its main contact. The Kayar artisanal fisheries local council includes the various inter-professional organisations present in Senegal", explains the CLPA coordinator.
According to Mor Mbengue, these include CONIPAS (Conseil national interprofessionnel de la pêche artisanale du Sénégal), FENAPAS (Fédération nationale des pêcheurs artisanaux du Sénégal), UNAMS (Union nationale des mareyeurs du Sénégal) and others. Each of these organisations defends the interests of its members at the various meetings of the CLPA, which tries to take all concerns into account. On this basis, it then makes proposals to the administrative authorities, who can then issue decrees in line with the wishes of the area's fishers.
In order to finance the CLPAs, the government had stipulated that 60% of the cost of fishing licences, fishmongers' cards and processors' cards was to go towards their operation. But this provision has yet to be applied, according to the coordinator of the Kayar CLPA, who says he is taking initiatives to self-finance. "In Kayar, for each purchase of fuel for canoes, the pump attendant deducts 200 FCFA to be paid into the CLPA account. And for every pirogue that lands at least 50 boxes of fish, one box is deducted for the CLPA account," says Mor Mbengue. According to him, the money collected is used to cover material damage in the event of an accident at sea and to buy fuel for the pirogue chartered to search for fishers who have disappeared or are in difficulty. The funds are also being used to pay for travel by representatives of the local council and CLPA delegations.
The CLPA, guaranteeing the biological rest period
Since 2004, Kayar has a Marine Protected Area (MPA) covering 171 km². The aim is to preserve the diversity of fish resources and biotopes in the Kayar marine basin. The MPA is an important breeding, nursery, and concentration area for coastal demersal species. According to specialists, most of the emblematic and threatened species found in Senegalese waters are represented there.
To preserve these fish-filled waters, the Kayar CLPA observes a biological rest period every year from July to September. "If, for example, we notice a small catch of a species such as the cutlassfish (less than 70 cm), we stop catching it. And that is until we see that it is a normal size for us to authorise," explained the CLPA coordinator. In fact, if the size of the cutlassfish is normal, the price can range from 50,000 to 1 million CFA francs. According to Mor Mbengue, this is a species in great demand on the Asian market. This measure also applies to octopus, with the same principles, and it is always the CLPA, after consultation with the stakeholders, that proposes a temporary closure endorsed by the administrative authority.
If any recalcitrant offender is arrested, the CLPA will confiscate their work equipment, which they will be able to recover upon payment of a "heavy" fine.
The CLPA's other tasks include taking measures to limit catches to three boxes for pageot and other species intended for export. It also oversees the ban on passive nets in the Kayar canal zone. The CLPA also organizes the landings to avoid congestion at the landing site.
Kayar says no to monofilament nets
With the effects of climate change, fishing has been facing a period of disgrace. The advancing sea is leading to the loss of beach space. Many small economic operators have been forced to leave under the threat of the waters. What is more, this threat to the area will continue with the forthcoming exploitation of gas resources off the coast, some 90 km away. It should also be remembered that other companies are currently prospecting in coastal waters. This is why fisheries stakeholders are investing on healthy fishing practices and are fiercely opposed to the use of monofilament nets.
In Kayar, explains the president of the anglers, Mamadou Mbaye, who is also a member of the co-management committee, "not only do we have a culture of not practising this form of fishing, but also, and above all, we prohibit it in our waters. But these fishermen from Mboro are flouting this law. We vigorously opposed these violations, and it led to a conflict." In such a situation, he insists, "the State must react to bring a definitive solution to this conflict. Monofilament fishing, which is banned but still practised in the waters, poses a problem." Assane Sarry, a member of CLPA, admits that "this conflict is an old sea snake which resurfaced in 2005, even causing loss of life. One victim, Youssoupha Ndoye, was shot dead during a pitched battle.”
"To safeguard our fishery resources and honour the memory of our brother who died in combat, we will continue to wage war on users of monofilament nets, which are a danger to fishing, because despite being banned by the Fishing Code, some fishermen continue to use them," warns Assane Sarry, who regrets "the stubbornness of the fishermen of Mboro who persist in this illegal practice."
These blue or green nets are made up of several twisted monofilaments, providing a solid and, at the same time, flexible net and increasing fishing capacity. The numerous awareness campaigns and seizure operations carried out by the CLPA, which sometimes involve violence, have no impact. Artisanal fishers continue to use monofilament nets, with harmful consequences for fish stocks, abetted by the inconsistency of the government.
It is forbidden to use or keep on board fishing boats gillnets made from nylon mono-filament or multi-mono-filament elements. "No Kayar fisherman uses these nets, which are harmful to the marine environment, and the laws must be respected," says Assane Sarry.
Gaoussou Gueye, President of the Confédération Africaine des Organisations Professionnelles de la Pêche Artisanale (CAOPA), explains that "these mono-filament and multi-mono-filament nets are banned by Article 66 of Senegal's 2015 Maritime Fishing Code. The same article prohibits their possession, import, use and marketing". Mr Gueye points out that these nets are not biodegradable. But the authorities are struggling to apply the law. And some artisanal fishers continue to use them because they can find them on the market.
Limits of co-management and participatory surveillance
Participatory surveillance has become a necessity for the smooth running of local co-management systems and the safeguarding of Senegal's fisheries resources. According to Djibril Ndiaye, President of the Active Fishermen's Association in Kayar, this co-management team is made up of an officer from the gendarmerie, an officer from the MPA, the mayor's representative and fisheries stakeholders.
In participatory surveillance, a team is set up with representatives from artisanal fisheries, the gendarmerie and the town council. But Djibril Ndiaye, president of the active fishermen, explains that the state agents only work during the week, whereas surveillance must be carried out every day. Photo: P.K.Traore.
"For the moment, there are only two fibreglass pirogues available to us for surveillance, and it is we fishers who are responsible for supplying it with fuel," says Djibril Ndiaye, President of the Active Fishermen's Association, who doubts the sincerity of the other members of the participatory surveillance team in ensuring the success of the mission. As he points out, "they don't take any risks if cases of aggression are reported. They simply make a video and send it to their superiors, who are slow to react or almost never do anything." Our interviewee also complained that "the mayor's representative and the gendarmerie don't work at weekends or on public holidays." Yet they should carry out surveillance every day, as part of their duty to safeguard their maritime area.
On top of these, the latter never go out in open sea. In view of these shortcomings, the President of the Active Fishermen's Association questions the usefulness of this collaboration. "There are many factors that threaten the sustainability of the results obtained in areas where participatory surveillance is effective," he says.
Among the many challenges that could be identified are the lack of a suitable legal framework and of a status for fishers carrying out surveillance; the lack of clear and precise rules for the organisation and operation of local participatory surveillance brigades; and, finally, the lack of an autonomous and sustainable funding mechanism for surveillance activities.
According to Abdoulaye Ndiaye, Coordinator of the Local Artisanal Fishing Committee (CLPA) of Sindia-Nord and S.G. of PAPAS, this situation "risks, in the long run, dealing a serious blow to participatory surveillance activities throughout the country, despite the commitment of communities to the sustainable management of our fisheries resources." In an article published by Greenpeace in 2016, he already argued that "there is an urgent need to codify participatory surveillance in order to clarify the rules and conditions for exercising this model of activity, which is advocated by the Senegalese government and which is essential for strengthening local co-management of fisheries.
Senegal's fishing code to be reviewed
With the aim of "reversing the still somber trends in fisheries management", Senegal has "opted, among other management tools, to implement a co-management approach for small-scale fisheries to ensure the involvement and effective participation of grassroots communities in management and development decisions...". Ten years ago, the Association pour la promotion et la responsabilisation des acteurs de la pêche artisanale maritime (APRAPAM) warned that the lack of efficiency in the sector's administrative, and control, monitoring and surveillance (MCS) systems, as well as the lack of human, technical and financial resources, were jeopardising the fisheries sector, but above all, the success of an effective co-management system.
For several months now, Senegal has been working on a review of the Maritime Fishing Code. It was against this backdrop that stakeholders from the artisanal fishing industry met for two days in Thiès in May 2023 to make their contributions to this review.
Banner photo: Fishers on the beach at Kayar, by Paule Kadja Traore
A Senegalese civil society organisation, member of the OECD Watch network, supported fishers from Saint Louis in placing a complaint to the UK and US OECD National Contact Points against the multinational enterprises British Petroleum and Kosmos Energy.