The foreign fleet of industrial trawlers has exhausted Senegale’s fish stocks, driving artisan fishermen to take on difficult and sometimes fatal migrations to Spain.
That’s the discovery of something new ReportThe Spanish Archipelago has become a difficult destination for fishermen, based on interviews with Senegal and the Canary Islands from the UK-based Environmental Justice Foundation.
Illegal, unreported, unregulated trolls are increasingly depleting fisheries with many of the losses driven by foreign companies. Almost half of Senegale’s fishing boats are now owned primarily by foreign companies, primarily Spanish and Chinese, with most of the industrial catches being shipped overseas, primarily to Europe and China.
Fisheries are an important sector of Senegale’s economy, supporting approximately 3% of the workforce while supplying important food sources. However, due to the surge in industrial trolls, 57% of the population of fish harvested in Senegal are currently in collapse.
“I worked as a fisherman for nearly a decade. When I first started, the ocean was abundant. But over the years things got a little bit stronger,” said Idrisa Sei, a former fisherman who moved to the Canary Islands to help his family at home. “Imagine someone leaving Senegal despite the fact that Senegal is very good.
The number of immigrants from West Africa to the Canary Islands has increased more than 100 times in recent years, reaching more than 46,000 last year, from around 400 in 2017. Those interviewed for the report said that reducing fisheries is a key driver. Senegalese Memedu Racine Sek said, “If I could have made enough money from fishing, I wouldn’t have come to Europe.”
Senegale migrants trek at a great personal risk, as the immigration route from West Africa to Canary is one of the most dangerous people in the world. In 2023 alone, more than 3,000 people died while attempting an intersection from Senegal. In one particularly harsh episode, a ship carrying 101 people drifted near Cape Verde. Only 38 were still alive.
“The tragedy lost my son, nephew and grandchildren,” said Modou Boy Sek, a Senegalese man who had a family on board the ship. He condemned the losses of Senegal’s fishing crisis. “There are no boats in the ocean lately. It’s a difficult thing young people are dealing with and it caused them this tragic death. It’s the most heartbreaking thing.”
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