Migration of artisanal fishers targeting small pelagics in West Africa: current trends and development

Authors

  • El hadj Bara Dème Blue Governance Research Centre (CBG), Faculty of Economics and Law, University of Portsmouth UoP, Portsmouth, P01 3DE, United Kingdom
  • Yayo Amalatchy Centre de Recherche Océanographique (CRO), Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire
  • Raul Thomas Jumpe Centre d’Investigation et des Recherches Appliquées (CIPA), Bissau, Guinea-Bissau
  • Assane Deda Fall Mauritanian Institute of Oceanographic Research and Fisheries (IMROP), Nouadhibou, Mauritania
  • Waly Bocoum Blue Governance Research Centre (CBG), Faculty of Economics and Law, University of Portsmouth UoP, Portsmouth, P01 3DE, United Kingdom
  • Moustapha Dème Institut Sénégalais de Recherche Agricole (ISRA), Centre de Recherche Océanographique de Dakar-Thiaroye (CRODT), Pôle de Recherche de Hann, Dakar, Sénégal
  • Pierre Failler Blue Governance Research Centre (CBG), Faculty of Economics and Law, University of Portsmouth UoP, Portsmouth, P01 3DE, United Kingdom
  • Mohamed Soumah Centre National des Sciences Halieutiques de Boussoura (CNSHB), Conakry, Guinea
  • Momodou Sidibeh Fisheries Department, Banjul, Gambia
  • Idrissa Diédhiou Institut Sénégalais de Recherche Agricole (ISRA), Centre de Recherche Océanographique de Dakar-Thiaroye (CRODT), Pôle de Recherche de Hann, Dakar, Sénégal
  • Simon Ahouansou Montcho University of Abomey-Calavi, Cotonou, Benin
  • Antaya March Blue Governance Research Centre (CBG), Faculty of Economics and Law, University of Portsmouth UoP, Portsmouth, P01 3DE, United Kingdom
  • Grégoire Touron-Gardic Blue Governance Research Centre (CBG), Faculty of Economics and Law, University of Portsmouth UoP, Portsmouth, P01 3DE, United Kingdom

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.47193/mafis.3612023010104

Keywords:

Fisheries, impact, management, politics, added value

Abstract

This study sought to present the evolutions and new trends of migrant fishing targeting small pelagics in West Africa from fishing to consumption stage. The work involved the characterization of migrant fishers targeting small pelagics in West Africa (country of origin, fishing gear and target species), modalities of access to resources, estimation of their catches and finally the assessment of the impact in the host countries. This work was useful to analyse changes in terms of the actors involved, the volumes and values of catches, and forms of valorisation and marketing of products from the migrant sectors over the period 2008-2018. Overall, the quantities of pelagic fish caught by migrant fishermen were increasing. The production of small pelagic by migrant fisheries has almost doubled over a decade, from an estimated of 180,000 t over the period 2008-2012, to a current estimated production of almost 324,500 t. More than 50% of this production was sold on the market in fresh or frozen form. More than 75,000 t (22%) and 94,000 t (28%) were destined for artisanal and industrial processing, respectively. Migrant fisheries thus supply more to industrial processing than to artisanal processing. Indeed, migrant fisheries have contributed over the last ten years to the emergence of fishmeal factories in West Africa. However, despite their significant evolution in terms of catch volumes and values, migrant fisheries still operate outside of legislative frameworks and without being explicitly accounted for in national statistics. Moreover, conflicts are increasingly important given the current tensions and issues surrounding the exploitation of small pelagic fish in West Africa. This work recommends the development of a common management plan for migrant fishers in the countries of the Sub-Regional Fisheries Commission (SRFC) and the West Central Gulf of Guinea Fisheries Committees (WCGC).

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Author Biography

El hadj Bara Dème, Blue Governance Research Centre (CBG), Faculty of Economics and Law, University of Portsmouth UoP, Portsmouth, P01 3DE, United Kingdom

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Published

2023-01-01

How to Cite

Dème, E. hadj B. ., Amalatchy, Y., Jumpe, R. T., Fall, A. D., Bocoum, W., Dème, M., Failler, P., Soumah, M., Sidibeh, M., Diédhiou, I., Ahouansou Montcho, S., March, A. and Touron-Gardic, G. (2023) “Migration of artisanal fishers targeting small pelagics in West Africa: current trends and development ”, Marine and Fishery Sciences (MAFIS), 36(1), pp. 31–52. doi: 10.47193/mafis.3612023010104.