Women are the main stakeholders in the marketing and artisanal processing of the small-scale fishing catches in the community of Langue de Barbarie (Senegal). Coastal small-scale pelagic fisheries account for around 70% of landings in coastal communities in Senegal (Mbengue, 2012; Dème & Dème, 2021). As such, small-scale pelagic fisheries in this community not only create jobs and generate income, but also contribute to food security, and are the foundation of social and cultural wellbeing. For example, the consumption of processed small pelagic is deeply rooted in the culinary traditions of Senegalese and West African populations.
Women in this community have succeeded over time in acquiring certain notoriety and social status with the place they have occupied for generations in the value chain (Sall, 2007). This has been possible thanks to their intergenerational control of two strategic segments of the value chain: fresh produce marketing, as well as artisanal processing using local traditional technologies, passed down from mother to daughter, and the marketing of these products. The various techniques include salting and drying, brining followed by salting and drying, braising then salting and drying, and boiling before salting and drying. To a lesser extent, smoking is also used.
Over the years, thanks to endogenous savings and mutual credit mechanisms on one hand, and reciprocal solidarity networks on the other, women have managed to build up their own financial capital. Due to this financial capital, women can avoid the usurious rates charged by conventional banks when taking loans. In this way, they are recognized as the main players who have enabled small-scale fishing to continue over time – by intervening before and after the act of fishing, which men mainly carry out. Upstream, in the absence of a formal system willing to finance small-scale fishing, it is the women who provide the necessary credit to the fishermen to pre-finance their fishing trips. Downstream, they are responsible for adding value to the catches through marketing and processing.
However, the prospects for pelagic small-scale fisheries have become increasingly bleak under the combined effects of two factors.
Firstly, there is the issue of the overcapacity of foreign industrial fishing fleets, which has endangered stocks of small pelagic fish, particularly sardinella (Sardinella aurita). This species is crucial for small-scale fisheries. This situation is the result of the signing of fishing agreements with foreign companies as early as 1996 (Business and Human Rights Centre, 2021). European distant water fleets have been the main contributors to this overcapacity. In the last three to four years, Chinese distant water fleets have also become significant contributors (Savoye & Bellanger, 2023).
Secondly, the impact of industrial fleets targeting small pelagic fish is significant, particularly as these fish are processed into fishmeal for international markets in aquaculture and animal feed (APRAPAM, 2020; Diouf, 2014). Notably, there is considerable vertical integration within this sector by Chinese entities. Chinese-owned fishing boats are often the suppliers for Chinese-owned fishmeal factories, creating a tightly controlled supply chain (Greenpeace, 2012; GAIPES, 2020).
Due to the aforementioned current unsustainable practices, which are exemplary of the ongoing poor governance of fisheries in Senegal (Sall, 2007), this has led to an unprecedented social crisis because of a dramatic fall in catches. As early as the 90s, there was a drop in yields from seine canoes specializing in small pelagic fish (Dème, 2012). Sardinella, the emblematic species among small coastal pelagic, is becoming increasingly rare. Over the last three years, the community has seen some of the worst fishing seasons for this species, with fishermen going out for days on end without being able to recover the costs of their fishing trips. For women, this means a shortage, or even an absence, of raw materials, leading either to a reduction in their activities, or to a temporary switch to other activities in order to secure a minimum income. This crisis in small pelagic fisheries is gradually spreading throughout the country – threatening men’s livelihoods in small-scale fisheries, women’s financial independence, as well as local food security.
Diambari sine, a local women-led organization, is taking a stand against these problems. The organization has about 600 members of all ages (ANSD, 2019). The organization is mostly active in political advocacy and trying to influence policies, which they do through organizing protests and addressing their grievances with public authorities on major occasions (such as International Women’s Day, World Fisheries Day, World Environment Day, or World Oceans Day). However, due to their lack of time, financing, and capacity, most of their actions are carried out in partnership with partner NGOs and other fisheries umbrella organizations such as REFEPAS, which is the national network of women processors in Senegal.
On Women’s Day, 8 March 2023, in collaboration with REFEPAS and with the support of local and international NGOs, Diambari sine organized a public demonstration on the beach of their community. Holding placards, they denounced the fishing agreements between the national government and international fishing companies and the granting of licenses to industrial fishers for small pelagics to be used in the manufacturing of fishmeal. On this occasion, they also expressed their great concern for their future and the future of younger generations in the face of the danger represented by the exploitation of gas in an area not far from their community.
The women’s demands and policy objectives for fisheries reform are twofold. First, they are demanding recognition and safeguarding of their human and traditional rights to continue to depend on (and thus to access) marine resources and coastal zones that are fundamental for their livelihoods and food security. In this way, they are seeking to preserve their maritime identity and the unique culture of the small-scale fishing and processing sector. Indeed, they are advocating for blue justice in the context of small-scale fisheries (Chuenpagdee et al., 2022; Ertör, 2021). Second, they are demanding respect for marine ecosystems and their sustainable management by questioning the poor governance that promotes industrial fisheries and fishmeal factories in a context of resource depletion, which further endangers the pelagic stocks on which small-scale fisheries rely on. In particular, they are seeking to ban pelagic trawling and the closure of fishmeal factories.
Regarding their aim to influence the fisheries policies decision-making process, given the considerable financial clout of industrial fishing companies, the results are still far from their aims. The financial power of industrial fishing, which has its own lobbying networks, is the source of the constraints encountered in achieving its objectives. In this context, the adage “divide and conquer” is one of the strategies used to break the momentum of such small-scale fishers’ organizations and social movements.
Moreover, the fishing agreements, a key issue on Diambari sine’s agenda and a national concern, have been mired in controversy. Senegalese representatives working on behalf of Russian and Chinese ship owners have reportedly employed corrupt practices and influence to promote a narrative favoring these foreign entities in pelagic fisheries. Indeed, a so-called union of industrial sailors has emerged from the industrial port, backed by wholesalers with exclusive rights to catches by Russian and Chinese vessels of pelagic fish. This group, allegedly supported by unscrupulous journalists, has formed a network to defend the involvement of these foreign nations in pelagic fisheries. Their main arguments are that industrial fisheries generate employment and contribute to food security since part of the catch is sold locally.
In conclusion, the issues that these women are engaged in and are actively denouncing are highly political. Diambari sine and their allies are fighting against financially powerful political actors and well-entrenched lobbies. Public visibility and external support are crucial for the success of their campaign. Although their struggle may be long, their steadfast commitment and strong sense of justice have the potential to persist and make a significant impact.
