The mangrove swamp near Joal-Fadiouth, a fishing village in southern Senegal, teems with oysters.
But hunting for shellfish treasure among gnarly tree roots in brackish water is a lot of work.
Thousands of people — the vast majority of them women — make a living from oysters in Senegal, usually at a small and informal level.
But experts say the tropical West African state has huge prospects for ramping up oyster output to far greater levels.
“Oyster production is falling short of its potential,” said Boubacar Banda Diop, in charge of the oyster sector at Senegal’s fisheries ministry.
The possible harvest, in terms of protein and money, could be high, say champions of the oyster.
About 40 percent of Senegal’s population of 17 million people live below the poverty line, according to a World Bank metric. In a nation where fish is a traditional staple, the country also suffers from overfishing and food insecurity.
In 2017, farmers plucked about 15,600 tonnes of oysters from Senegal’s mangroves, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). They also gathered about 400 tonnes from oyster beds.
By comparison, the world’s largest oyster producer China harvests about 3.5 million tonnes per year, according to the French research institute Ifremer.
Senegal’s government has a development plan for the oyster industry, while the FAO and the European Union are putting forward ideas for techniques and breeding programmes to enhance production.