The waters of the Atlantic, off the coast of West Africa, are running out of fish and the ecological and social crisis is gaining worrying proportions. Overfishing destroys marine ecosystems and leaves local communities at risk.
Industrial-sized ships, both European and Chinese, operate like floating factories. Off Senegal, they capture everything they find, without distinguishing between commercial species and protected animals. The consequences are devastating: declining biodiversity, degraded marine ecosystems and local communities without livelihoods.
Diana Seck is a marine biologist and every day she witnesses the effects of this practice of overfishing.
“We found a dolphin already in an advanced state of decomposition. The animals caught in the nets die. If they are thrown into the sea, they end up washing up on the coast. There are thousands of ships at sea. It’s shocking. Thinking about the consequences… it’s a disaster.”
The situation directly affects local fishermen, who have depended on the sea for generations to survive. Arfa Ndiagne tries to survive on a small fishing boat. But the fish he manages to catch is no longer enough to support his family. The Senegalese fisherman considers selling his boat and sending his children to Europe.
“These ships threaten us. They cut our nets. If I see one, I collect the net and run away. I no longer have hope. I used to catch a lot of fish, but not anymore.”
This crisis was discussed at the last United Nations Ocean Summit last summer. Despite the urgency, the proposal to strengthen ocean protection failed. Still, Diana Seck remains hopeful.
“The sea can recover, but industrial fishing must stop. We will continue our work, we will not give up. Overfishing is not just an environmental issue. It is also a social problem.”
The recovery of the oceans depends on global decisions, but the impact is already being felt locally, where time is scarce for those who live from the sea.
