Case 2-12 Changing practices of hosting migrant fishermen: case study of the Central Senegalese Delta

In the interior of the Saloum Delta, shrimp are caught by small seiners called ‘killi’. The village of Gague Mody, near Foundiougne, has 736 inhabitants (2002), of which 160 are involved in fishing. During the shrimp season, about 80 migrant fishers arrive from all over Senegal and from neighbouring countries, such as The Gambia and Guinea Bissau, to fish killi. These migrant fishers from outside the Saloum Delta arrive at the start of the shrimp season in August and leave in January.

In the coastal areas of West Africa, including this region, people have been free to move to each other and access the natural resources of the areas where they have settled. Mangrove forests and coastal fisheries resources were freely available for many years. People from neighbouring countries, such as Guinea, stayed in the villages of the Delta and made a living from shrimp fishing. Similarly, the Senegalese travelled to neighbouring countries to access local fisheries resources and were looked after by the local population.

In localities where these practices are embedded in society, traditional attitudes towards outsiders have changed, as in the case of the beach committee activities initiated by the NGO, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in the 2000s. In recent years, a sense of crisis over the degradation of coastal resources due to increased fishing pressure has led villagers to protect and manage their own environmental resources. The de facto enclosure of local resources has begun, shutting out migratory fishermen.

The activities of the beach committee have required a change in the culture of welcoming strangers that the Saloum locality have developed for many years. Today, with a growing population and increased pressure for resource extraction, the question is how to avoid conflict, and how to live in harmony with migrant fishers in a contemporary context.

Chapter 2 Establishing and strengthening the resource management implementation system

2.4 Involvement of migrant fishermen

When analysing the status of migrant fishermen and stakeholders, issues such as the number of migrant fishermen, types and timing of fishing activities, the activities’ impact on resources, awareness of resource management among migrant fishermen, and interests within the community should be examined. If migrant fishermen’s representatives are among the members of the resource management organisation, a relatively accurate understanding of the activities, attitudes, and positions of migrant fishermen can be obtained, and the fishing community as a whole can understand the migrant fishermen better.

When developing a resource management plan for sustainable use of local resources in West Africa, it is reasonable to assume that such plan must ensure coexistence with the migrant fishermen who come to a given area every year. Moreover, it is important to consider the norms rooted in local culture. This case study is a useful reminder of these factors.