As the proposal is being presented at the European Parliament PECH committee and to the Senegal National Assembly, APRAPAM and CAOPA ask the government to publish all access agreements, demand more transparency on the use of sectoral support funds and express concern on the access to some fish stocks
The European Parliament discussed the new protocol to the EU-Senegal Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement (SFPA) last 19 February. Senegal National Assembly is also going to discuss the proposal. In this context, the African Confederation of Artisanal Fisheries Organisations (CAOPA) and the Association pour la promotion et la responsabilisation des acteurs de la pêche artisanale maritime (APRAPAM) have expressed their demands and concerns. These focus on two issues: the lack of transparency and the access to resources.
Both organisations welcome the fact that the EU-Senegal agreement is public but complain that even if transparency is a general provision in the protocol, there is not a specific mention concerning all access agreements such as in the case of the EU-Mauritania protocol. “Such transparency regarding the access of foreign fleets, given the recent arrivals of foreign boats in Senegalese waters, would be a salutary measure to be implemented to ensure sustainable fishing and protect Senegal's artisanal fishing communities.”
APRAPAM and CAOPA also call for transparency on the use of sectoral funds and urge the funding of scientific research and data collection, especially the Senegalese research institute CRODT, which has not been funded since 2015. They insist that there is an imperative need to “develop solid research on the alarming state of our small pelagic resources, shared with our neighbours.”
In this regard, these organisations regret the access to small pelagics to foreign fleets in Mauritania which is causing the overexploitation of these stocks in the region. This allocation is done “in the absence of a joint research and management framework” and “in particular for processing into fish oil and fish meal.” Both organisations see an opportunity – in the framework of Senegal, Mauritania and Gambia SFPAs – to improve and encourage joint research.
On the other hand, artisanal fisheries are concerned with access to hake for European fleets, especially about the bycatch that is allowed, which “is attractive to European trawlers engaged in this fishery, given their high commercial value”. However, CAOPA and APRAPAM remind that these species are also fished by artisanal fishermen and ask that bycatch is limited as much as possible.
Finally, CAOPA and APRAPAM encourage the Senegalese government to demand more tuna quotas at ICCAT and to look into “the possibilities for developing a sustainable artisanal tuna fishery in the coming years.”
More information:
On fishmeal and fish oil in West Africa, an article by Andre Standing
Overfishing of small pelagics: a regional issue, an article by Ad Corten
*Banner photo: CAOPA Facebook