Several Senegalese fisheries stakeholders, including artisanal fishermen, industrial shipowners and civil society organisations have protested against the intention of their government to issue 52 fishing licenses to vessels of Chinese origin and 2 to Turkish seiners.
While the country is facing Covid-19 epidemic restrictions, the ministry consulted the Senegalese consultative committee for the attribution of fishing licences (CCAL), a body with key fisheries stakeholders’ representation, via an e-mail. This is the biggest list of vessels ever to ask for licenses in a single shot.
APRAPAM, a Senegalese civil society organisation, published a statement underscoring that if these licences are granted, it would increase the fishing pressure, threaten sustainability and the livelihoods of artisanal fishing communities who are already suffering from the restrictions in place to fight the Coronavirus epidemic.
In parallel, artisanal fisheries sent a letter to the fisheries minister demanding the postponing of the examination of the licences by underlining several concerns regarding the procedure but also on the licence demands.
Senegalese shipowners also sent an open letter to the minister, highlighting similar concerns. Indeed, 15 Chinese-origin vessels and 2 Turkish seiners have requested a licence to fish small pelagic, an already over-exploited resource, especially sardinella, which is a key resource for artisanal fisheries and a staple food in the whole of West Africa.
There are also 36 licence requests for hake, an over-exploited resource that is besides shared with other countries in the region.
For these vessels, obtaining a license is a condition sine qua non to become senegalised’ (reflagged in Senegal) under a joint venture. APRAPAM notes it means that 51% of the capital has to be held up by a Senegalese national.
CONIPAS, however, questions this: how can a company with a share capital of 100,000 francs [approx. 150] own a boat costing up to 1 billion francs? APRAPAM states that they have no doubt about the true nationality of these boats, which we consider to be foreign boats, and highlights that these vessels are new to Senegal’s waters and that some of them have a history of non-compliance.