Case GM-1 Adjusting fishing effort by restricting nighttime fishing: case of fisheries adjustment in the south-central coast of Senegal and The Gambia

Since 2012 in the Mbour region on Petite-Côte, night fishing restrictions have been implemented for fishing vessels targeting small floating fish resources, including purse seine fishing, drift net fishing, and encircling gillnet fishing. This measure was initially introduced not so much for resource conservation but to prevent a situation where the prices of fish would plummet and catches would have to be discarded when a large amount of sardines were caught during the season. It was initiated locally and later supported by COMFISH, a USAID project, eventually becoming a county ordinance (Arrete).

Subsequently, fishermen in Dakar and south of The Gambia agreed to a five-month ban on nighttime fishing from July to November in 2022. The timing and duration of the ban have been adjusted over time through trial and error. In Joal, Djifer, The Gambia, and Kafountine, large canoes that target small floating fish like Sardinella aurita chase fish schools across regions and even countries. On the other hand, strong winds and occasional rain occur from June to November, making nighttime operations dangerous. Moreover, a large catch of fish leads to a drop in fish prices. Therefore, nighttime fishing restrictions have been implemented in various regions. Initially, these restrictions were set individually for each region, but it was noted that differences in the ban periods between sea areas led to an undesirable concentration of fishing vessels in certain areas where fishing was still allowed. As a result, the ban periods gradually became unified.

The timeline of these adjustments is as follows:

Joal: a six-month ban from June to November starting in 2015

Djifer: a three-month ban from June to August in 2017 and a six-month ban from June to November from 2018 onwards

The Gambia: a six-month ban from June to November from 2018 onwards (without formal regulations)

Kafountine: an eight-month ban from June to January from 2015 onwards (without formal regulations)

Since 2018, at least a six-month ban from June to November has been in place in the regions above.

Initially, fishermen in Djifer opposed the long-term fishing ban; thus, a three-month nighttime fishing ban was implemented in 2017. However, as nighttime fishing was still possible in Djifer when it was prohibited in other regions, fishermen from other areas flocked to Djifer’s fishing grounds. This led to overcrowding and accidents during nighttime operations. Furthermore, a large quantity of Sardinella aurita was landed in the area, causing a significant drop in fish prices. According to officials from the Senegalese Ministry of Fisheries, fish prices dropped to as low as XOF 3,000 per box before the unification of the ban periods but increased to XOF 13,000 per box after the unification. While various factors influenced fish prices, the unification of nighttime fishing ban periods is considered the decisive contributing factor to the improvement in prices.

Considering the outcomes above, Djifer agreed to a six-month nighttime fishing ban from 2018 onwards, aligning with other regions. The Gambia, which had not set nighttime fishing ban periods until 2017, saw an influx of Senegalese fishermen unable to fish at night in neighbouring waters, leading to similar issues as Djifer. Consequently, The Gambia began implementing nighttime fishing ban periods in 2018, in line with neighbouring regions.

According to Gambian Fisheries Department officials, the Gambian fisheries organisation PONSAFAG (Platform of Non-State Actors in Fisheries and Aquaculture of The Gambia) worked with UNAPAS (Union Nationale des Pêcheurs Artisanaux de Senegal) and CLPA national networks in Senegal to coordinate the establishment of fishing ban periods. PONSAFAG members communicated via WhatsApp and promptly shared agreements with all PONSAFAG members. The ban period in 2022 was set for five months owing to the Tabaski holiday in June 2022 and the strong demand from Senegalese fishermen to secure fishing income before Tabaski.

It is worth noting that these adjustments were made through negotiations led by representatives of the fishermen’s organisations. While the government formalized the agreements reached by fishermen’s representatives into official regulations, it was the fishermen’s representatives who took the lead. Ongoing dialogues led by fishermen’s representatives have continued to adjust based on the realities on the ground, such as the decision to make the 2022 ban period five-month long.

The fishing restrictions on small floating fish resources were initially introduced to avoid situations where fishing intensifies during the migratory period of the resources, leading to a sharp drop in fish prices and the wasteful discarding of catches. This activity was initiated to address challenges in the fishing industry’s management but also serves as a resource management strategy that prevents the wasteful use of small floating fish resources and promotes sustainable utilisation.

Harmonising and unifying fishing rules from different regions within an open-access fishing environment is challenging but feasible under certain conditions. In this case, in the region of Fadiouth, where relatively lenient fishing regulations (short-term nighttime fishing bans) were initially implemented compared to other areas, issues such as increased maritime accidents and falling fish prices occurred, leading fishermen to experience the disadvantages of inconsistent rules. This served as a direct impetus for the overall adjustment of the rules.

In the maritime areas of The Gambia and Senegal, fishermen routinely move between regions. Many Senegalese fishermen have also settled in The Gambia. Effective communication between Senegalese and Gambian fishermen is possible because they have a common language. Moreover, the similarity in traditional socio-cultural backgrounds is one of the reasons why cross-border fisheries adjustments were possible, as it facilitated communication and cooperation among fishermen across national boundaries.

Chapter 3 Implementation of resource management measures

There are several ways to adjust fishing effort, such as limiting the number of gill nets, limiting the number of hooks in longlines, reducing operation hours, and diversifying target stocks through the introduction of new technology. In this case, the nighttime operation is prohibited, which leads to a reduction in operation hours.

In 2012 in Mbour, Senegal, a ban on nighttime fishing for small floating fish was introduced to adjust production to prevent a collapse in fish prices. This is an example of cross-border fishermen’s organisations’ representatives taking an initiative to adjust rules in order to avoid the adverse effects of concentration of fishing vessels caused by the influx of fishermen who could no longer operate in the surrounding waters where no closed season had been established. This case is an example of how conversations can be established between representatives of fishermen’s organisations across national borders when necessary.