New Fishing Licenses Intensify Marine Plunder

Greenpeace International (Amsterdam)

22 March 2011

press release

Greenpeace Africa has urged the Senegalese government to reconsider the 20 licences it issued to Russian trawlers.

The new licenses will speed up the plunder and pillaging of the once rich West African fishing grounds, which Greenpeace witnessed during a tour in Senegalese and Mauritanian waters in 2010, and then published in a report ‘How Africa feeds Europe’ [1].

The situation of the world fish stocks is tragic. According to the latest World Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) report ‘State of the World Fisheries’, 32% of commercially used fish stocks are over-exploited, depleted or recovering, more than half of the balance is fully exploited, while only 15% is underexploited or moderately exploited [2].

It is the same situation in Senegalese waters. The Senegalese National Institute for Fisheries Research (CRODT) has already warned that the fishing of small pelagic fish must be halved to avoid an ecological crisis [3]. The government has just issued 20 licenses for these specific fish stocks.

‘If the government takes its responsibility towards the Senegalese population seriously, it needs to secure long-term sustainable fisheries in its waters’, says Raoul Monsembula, Greenpeace Africa Ocean Campaigner.

‘The species involved are staple foodstuffs for ordinary Senegalese. Overfishing means their plates go empty, it’s that simple.” he added.

Sustainable fishing will not only lead to healthy fish stocks, but will provide livelihoods for millions of Senegalese.

Greenpeace Africa urges the Senegalese government to reconsider its decision, listen to science, and stop the plunder.

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