Raid on the Atlantic – Overfishing and exploitation of the sea | DW Documentary

Raid on the Atlantic – Overfishing and exploitation of the sea | DW Documentary

The fishing industry has not been spared by globalization or industrialization. Fishing has become difficult for these traditional fishermen. There are fewer and fewer fish and competition is fierce. They sail side by side with industrial trawlers. Europeans and Asians are impoverishing Africa. They are stealing our African fish. West Africa is facing a catastrophe with overfishing, the related social problems and climate change. The fishing industry is facing a historic crisis. Not only fish stocks are affected, but also nutrition. And that has consequences for Africa. Two thirds of the Senegalese population live below the poverty line. People need jobs to stay. Or at least the hope of shaping their own destiny. More than 32,000 Africans reached the Canary Islands by boat. More and more people are setting sail to seek their fortunes on the other side of the Atlantic. Fish have long been considered an infinite resource in Senegal. Favourable ocean currents have created bountiful waters for residents for centuries. Sailors, net makers, mussel openers, fish processors, fish smokers, mechanics, carpenters, boat repairmen. A nation of fishermen. Millions of Senegalese have traditionally lived from fishing. The country’s expanding deserts are driving many people to the coasts, where they hope to work in fishing. The catch supplies the entire country with protein. But what was once thought to be an infinite resource has become increasingly scarce. You didn’t even used to be able to estimate the number of fish. Fishermen never came home with an empty net. For a long time, fishermen could even choose which species they wanted to catch. But that has changed completely. Stocks are collapsing, species are dying out. This is the first time I have seen pirogues on sale in Senegal. For sale! My name is Malick Sene. I’m a fisherman, I have two boats that we take out to sea every day. I used to make a good living, but that’s over now. We have to borrow nets, fuel and money to make ends meet. Sometimes we come back and have trouble paying it back. Sometimes we are at sea for up to 20 days or a month and catch nothing. We just end up in debt. The consequences of this crisis can be felt up and down the Senegalese coast. We believe the fish are supplied by God and will never run out. But over the last 30 years, we have noticed fewer and fewer fish every year. Who is to blame? The foreign ships are to blame. They fish on our coasts, on our territory. They even catch small fish like sardines. There are not even enough resources for our own pirogues. The problem: foreign fishing fleets are shamelessly plundering the waters of the Atlantic. How has Senegal, once a country with a seemingly endless supply of fish, been robbed of its greatest resource? This fatal development began at the end of the 1970s. Under the pretext of securing supplies for its own population, Europe began fishing bountiful African waters. The first fisheries agreement signed between the European Community and Senegal under the Lomé Convention. The plundering of Senegalese waters began with a handshake. The fishing agreements allowed European vessels to fish in Senegalese waters. And the financial compensation? Unclear. Despite repeated requests from local fishermen, the content of the agreements has never been made public. The catches were spectacular in the 1980s. European trawlers covered by the treaties were soon joined by other ships wanting a piece of the bounty. Within just a few years, ships from all over were soon trawling West African waters. The raid on the Atlantic had begun. The trawlers drug heavy nets across the seabed. In the process, they destroyed underwater flora and fauna. The Senegalese fishermen watched helplessly as the stocks were plundered. Their voice could not be heard in the face of the army of industrial fishing. They destroy everything and then throw 80% of their catch back into the sea. They were able to fish over 6000 tons per day. In one week, they caught as much as traditional fisheries did in a year. They were factory ships. Everything they caught was processed directly on the boat. While the Senegalese presidents fraternized with European leaders, the ocean continued to be plundered. In the 2000s, the situation became increasingly critical for the fishermen, but they were still unable to make their voices heard. The Senegalese government did not want to reverse the fishing treaties. We experienced banking crises and people’s livelihoods were at risk. There were serious problems, people died. We couldn’t talk to our authorities, they were only interested in the money, while we were interested in the fish. By 2011, they had had enough. The fishermen’s anger erupted. They decided to stand together against the government. Abdoulaye Wade, a president in his second term of office, faced competition from Macky Sall, who promised to rid Senegalese waters of foreign ships. They all know that there are no more big fish in this country. And at this rate, there will be no more fish in Senegal in two years. Our slogan for the 2012 presidential elections was that no fisherman in Senegal would vote for the current regime, which had signed the fisheries agreements with Europe. Our slogan was: My vote, my future. After election results rolled in on March 25, 2012, Macky Sall became President of the Republic of Senegal. My dear compatriots. I am the President of all Senegalese, there are no differences between you. A victory for the fishermen. There is an urgent need for action in fisheries. I am determined to review the conditions for issuing fishing licenses and to act against pirate ships that plunder our stocks. Macky Sall suspended the agreements with Europe. European vessels were no longer allowed to fish in Senegalese waters. We managed to abolish the agreement. We made it all the way to the European Union. We fought hard. The fishermen regained hope. And two years later, in 2014, Senegal signed a new fishing treaty with the European Union. This time, with fairer conditions. These are the first agreements following our new common fishing policy. The treaties were transparent and restricted the authorization of European vessels to areas that the Senegalese did not cover, such as tuna fishing. Were the problems been solved? The reality behind the agreements and the political speeches was more complex. This apparent victory for the Senegalese fishermen did not end the raid on the Atlantic. Loopholes allowed trawlers to navigate around the restrictions. In the years 2000, the mid-2000s, there was a big campaign in Senegal to stop the fishing agreements. So that happened. The government apparently understood that it was a problem for the fishermen, and decided not to renew the agreement. So the agreement was stopped. So at that time the fishermen were really happy. They saw that as a big victory. But we continued documenting what was happening with the European vessels and the European fleets. And what we saw was that just after the time when the agreement was stopped, several, and when I say several, several dozens of these vessels just couldn’t find a way to access Senegalese waters because it wasn’t in the agreement. And so they re-flagged to Senegal. So unfortunately these nice words, if you like, of this Senegalese government of those days, saying we will stop the agreement because it’s too much pressure on our resources, these nice words were not followed. The practice of "Senegalization" stems from a legal loophole that allows foreign ships to fly the Senegalese flag. On paper, the companies that own the ships are 51% Senegalese. But in reality, they were straw men, hiding owners from other countries. The fraud allows foreign ships to operate in Senegalese waters as if they were their home. These ships are stationed in Dakar. They arrive in Dakar and 24 hours later the fish are sent to China or Europe. Hope followed by disillusionment. We are familiar with “Senegalization.” You can’t talk about Fu Yuan Yu as if it were a Senegalese ship. Research the owner of the ship, you will see that it’s Chinese. The ship traveled this route after it left here. The signal can no longer be seen from here. If it breaks off, something is wrong. This means the ship was fishing in this area. The Ministry of Fisheries must know that. And they remain silent. The importance of traditional fishing cannot be overlooked. If you look at the number of pirogues and their primary contribution to food security… I think we have tried a lot in Senegal. But it’s not enough, we have to admit that. We will continue to work to secure our resources. Of course, there are ships that escape our control, but we detect most of the ships that illegally enter our national waters. While the foreign ships flying the Senegalese flag use legal loopholes, others have chosen to ignore the law altogether. Many foreign ships never bother to obtain a permit. They shamelessly plunder the waters in Senegal and elsewhere in Africa, against the law. The Russian ship Oleg Naidanov is a good example of some of the illegal fishing practices uncovered by Greenpeace activists. Not only was the ship operating without any authorization, but it also attempted to conceal its name under tarps. A practice prohibited under maritime law. After his election in 2012, Macky Sall and his government began to crack down on these ocean plunderers. Today, the Oleg Naidanov is in the hands of the Senegalese government and is being monitored by the national navy and police. We have sent commandos who have forced them to return. Senegal loses 150 billion CFA francs every year from illegal fishing. Senegal wins some battles, but the pirate ships are so numerous that it seems impossible to win the fisheries war. The authorities are no match for the thieves. And, as has been the case for decades, Senegalese fishermen feel they are being left to deal with the disaster on their own. Fish stocks continue to collapse. Things could hardly get any worse for Senegalese fishermen. But they do. In recent decades, China has become the undisputed leader in global fishing. Today, the largest share of the fishing vessels off the coast of West Africa is the Chinese fleet. In 2012, there was a famous speech by then President Hu Jintao. And he called for building China into a great maritime power. And right after that speech, in 2013, the stat council elevated the Chinese fishing industry to a strategic industry. Chinese ships have penetrated the world’s richest fishing waters, including near West Africa. Initial motivation really was food security. At that time China was worried about having enough food for its population. And then, as time went on, the motivation became more economic interest. You know, just wanting their companies to make more money. The way of the Chinese people is a message of hope, which says that underdevelopment is not an inevitable fate. China’s development will bring more opportunities to Africa, and Africa’s development will bring new life to China’s development. The Chinese fleet has been supported by a lot of subsidies by the Chinese government in order to achieve these aims. And those subsidies have risen over time. It really indicates the strength of support for the fleets and how much, you know, importance the Chinese place on this. China is doing today what Europe did in the past. Like Europe, it invokes food security when it sends its subsidized fishing boats out into the world. And like Europe, it uses trawl nets that are particularly destructive. But unlike Europe, there has never been a fisheries agreement between Senegal and China. The Senegalese government is struggling to ban illegal fishing and overfishing in its waters. It appears helpless, but also compliant in the face of the plundering of its marine wealth, which hurts its entire population. The Senegalese fishermen themselves must take their fate into their own hands and fight for their rights. Sometimes by drastic means. I have never shied away from representing the interests of fishermen, I have never shied away from defending the interests of the people of Joal-Fadiouth. I never thought about what might happen to me. One day I said to the fishermen: "Listen, the state won’t solve the problem. It’s up to us to sort it out, because we’re the ones under attack." We surrounded a ship, climbed onto the deck and pulled down the captain, a Chinese man. There were five of them and we beat them up. Then we took the captain back to my house. We kidnapped him. If someone hits you on the right cheek, you can’t turn the other one. You have to hit back just as hard. When you see this unfair competition. These huge ships, real behemoths, and next to them the small pirogues. When they see the small boats, they don’t budge. If you’re not careful, they crash into you. If the fisherman doesn’t get out of the way, he could die. The fishermen fight with everything at their disposal. Social media is full of incriminating video footage of illegal foreign trawlers. Filmed on the seemingly “lawless” ocean. Their lives are regularly in danger. Sometimes local seafarers work aboard foreign ships and are outraged by what they see. What amazes me is that there are black people on most of the boats. I heard someone say the other day that the crews don’t agree with what’s happening. It’s not their fault. Even those who work on these boats don’t like the way things are going. But everyone needs a job to feed their families. Because of these Chinese bastards, we are constantly posting on social media, on Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp. See for yourself how they are plundering our fish stocks. This is plundering, this is waste. We followed the boat for 12 km because it left with our net. The Chinese captain took an iron bar. All the Chinese armed themselves. They shouted at us and threatened us. That’s when I realized that they were prepared to hurt us if we got any closer to the boat. At some point they pulled out a hose and sprayed my companions with cold water. They did that for quite a while, then they sprayed us with acid. They eventually filled a pot with acid and diesel, set it on fire and threw it at me. I jumped into the sea. I had burns on my legs and face. My stomach was burnt. I had burns all over, I have scars all over my body. That’s why we don’t like the Chinese. My name is Coumba Mangane. I’ve been working in the port for ten years. I know nothing but this hard work. Bring me the phone, I want to show the photo of Ablaye. His name is Ablaye Diané. He is a good son. A son who loves his mother. He used to say to his friends "When will I be able to help my mother?" One day he got up in the morning and when he was at school he noticed my situation. He decided to drop out of school. He called me later and just said "Mom I am in Morocco." I said to him: Please come back, I want to see you. He replied: "No, mom, I won’t come home empty-handed". "Mom, you fought for us", "You’ve been tired for a long time." I have held on to my faith since the accident. I know that God gives and takes. I put myself completely in God’s hands. Foreign fishing fleets aren’t solely responsible for Senegal’s fishing woes. A new threat has arisen for many in the West African country. A deathblow for millions of women and men who live and rely on fish: Fishmeal factories. So, this big demand of fish for fishmeal is really relatively new. In Senegal and Mauritania, it’s in the last 15 years or so. But that’s really “the” factor that I would say is now leading to the collapse of the fishery. It’s not only industrial foreign vessels to blame. Also some pirogues are fishing for fishmeal. It’s a kind of, story of enslavement, in a way. Because, at first, the fishmeal company will give a good price for the fishermen. And it will even pre-finance the next fishing trip, which for fishermen is really important. I mean, if you don’t live on much money, and someone comes and says I’ll pay you tomorrow, I’ll pay for the fuel, but you give me your fish. And then you see that the price starts to decrease. So after 6 months, 9 months, the fishermen will be paid less than they were at the beginning but they still oblige to give their fish to the fishmeal factory. The number of factories along the West African coast has multiplied in recent years. They process huge quantities of fish into fishmeal, which is then exported to Europe and Asia. The first victims are not only the fishers but they are the women fish processors. They are the ones deprived of the material to process. They are the ones who have to watch while the fishers are going and selling the fish to the fishmeal factory rather than coming and selling them to the women. These drying tables are normally covered with fish in the high season, but today they are almost empty. Thousands of women were employed here to smoke or dry fish. Now they have no jobs. The unions are militantly organizing to draw the attention of authorities to the tragic situation of the women fish processors. Let’s hope it goes well. Will the ministries be represented? Will the government be there? We have planned a big demonstration. Ok. And the Kayar fishing authorities will be there. Women are the mainstay of the family in Senegal… the main pillar of the population. We give everything we earn first to the household, to our children, our husbands and then ourselves. If we don’t raise our voices, if we don’t demand authorities stop the establishment of fishmeal factories, women’s jobs in fish processing will eventually disappear. It’s already happening. Inspector Ismaïla, you are the representative of the Minister for Fisheries and the Marine Economy. Please tell the Minister that the files have been sitting in drawers for too long, that they are taking too long to process and that it is time for our importance to be recognized. If you look closely, there is not a single woman helping make decisions. Although we buy the fish on the beaches and process it and sell it at the markets. We feed our families with this work! After the male fishermen, women are the next victims of the collapse of the fishing industry. The family and social balance of an entire nation has been shaken. Fishmeal factories are destructive because they take away women’s jobs, and they deprive the population in the interior of the country of part of their food base with smoked fish. All the fish that used to be processed, smoked and dried to be sold in Senegal and West Africa is now sent to factories to produce fishmeal, and exported to Europe or Asia. The fish exported from Senegal and other countries does not feed people in Europe and Asia. It feeds their farm animals. The annual diet of around 30 million people in West Africa disappears into the stomachs of cattle, pigs, chickens and salmon. If the trawl is being threatened by the fact that fishmeal factories are pumping all the fish coming out of the sea for processing of fishmeal, for coming to China, for coming to Norway, to feed salmon that we eat on a Sunday lunchtime, then it is really something that is not only going to kill the sector, but really have a very bad impact on the local populations. There is no such thing as sustainable fishmeal. Sustainability does not go hand in hand with fishmeal factories. They are contradictory. Another point: Senegal subsidizes fishing. For example, the price of fuel is reduced so that fishermen can continue to sell fish. And this fisherman takes the Senegalese fish and sells it to a fishmeal factory that will export it to Europe to feed the European salmon that feeds Europeans. Senegalese subsidies are helping feed Europeans. And this despite the fact that Senegal is a country that depends on European development aid. In some coastal villages, the age pyramid is losing its base. Similar to countries at war, men between the ages of 15 and 35 are rare. Even though peace reigns in Senegal. The missing have left in search of a better life. They hid the news from me until I got to my mother’s house. There I received a phone call and they told me that my son had died. That was all I was told and then I saw it on social media. It’s very painful to find out about your son’s death like that. It’s very painful, heartbreaking. It’s not only the fish that’s disappearing, but also some of the Senegalese people. This has consequences for Africa. The Mediterranean is now a graveyard. This sea, which was a sea of civilizations, has unfortunately become a graveyard for all our young people who believe that the future lies elsewhere, in migration. And so you have the paradox that African youth are the continent’s most important asset and yet they do not believe in themselves and in their future here. There are now many migrants crossing the sea to Europe. These people are young, desperate and take great risks for the uncertain chance at a better life. The raid on the Atlantic is a catastrophe for the fishermen and other Senegalese. And yet there are many men and women who refuse to give up, who continue to fight to regain control of their future, who hope that the fish, this gift from God, will once again thrive in the waters of Senegal. My name is Ibrahima Diop. I am Senegalese. I’ve been here since 2018. Hello, are you okay? Yes, I’m going out today. I went to Spain illegally on a boat. There were 61 of us. Most fishermen. Is everything okay with the family? Yes, I’m fine. See you tomorrow, Inch’Allah. Have a nice day. I was my own boss, I had my own boat, I earned good money. Now I’m an employee. All the sacrifices I have made, I have made for my children, I know that I have suffered in life. Yes, of course I would like to return home. If I had the means today, I would go immediately. Without hesitation. But I have no choice.

West African waters once had some of the richest fish stocks in the world. Today they are severely depleted. Fishermen in Senegal fear for their livelihoods. Europeans, Chinese, Russians and Turks have overfished the waters.

The abundance of fish was once a blessing for the people of Senegal. Now, fish stocks have been severely depleted. For decades, fishermen here have been increasingly deprived of their livelihoods.

#documentary #dwdocumentary #fishing #overfishing
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