8. Legal framework in the field of resource management in Senegal
In 1998, the Senegalese government enacted the Fisheries Law (No. 98-32) and began work on changing the nature of the fishing industry. The government has forced on overcapacity as the cause of Senegal’s fisheries management difficulties, and preparations have been made to introduce a system of fishing concessions as a measure to reduce this overcapacity. On the advice of France and under the coordination of the Ministry of Fisheries and Maritime Economy, an attempt to reduce fishing effort has been made by limiting the number of fishing permits at the pilot sites of Kayar, Sindia, Joal, and Foundiougne.
This attempt led to numerous problems, and the system was not introduced. In addition to the lack of accurate data on stock levels and number of vessels on which to base fishing efforts, the fishermen were very reluctant to reduce the number of vessels. The fishermen pleaded with local politicians to put pressure on the administration to allow the registration of new boats. As a result, limiting the number of fishing boats became ineffective, and even the registration system did not work well. Subsequently, in 2006, the Senegalese government introduced a new registration system for fishing boats to reduce fishing, launched a licensing system for artisanal fishing boats, and prohibited the registration of new boats after August 2012.
The Senegalese government implemented a Maritime Fishing Code in July 2015 and its implementing regulations in November 2016, which regulated the fisheries resource management measures in the artisanal fishing sector. Enforcement of these fisheries regulations is the responsibility of the Fisheries Control and Surveillance Stations and departmental and regional Fisheries Directorates; however, there are limits to the number of Fisheries Directorate personnel who can enforce these regulations.
With the support of FAO, the World Bank, USAID, JICA, and other agencies, the Government of Senegal prepared the Letter of Sectorial Policy of Development of Fishing and Aquaculture (LPSDPA 2016–2023), which was signed on 23 August 2016. The text of the Policy Letter consists of six chapters. Section 4.2 in Chapter 3 defines sustainable management of fisheries resources and resource restoration as objectives and mentions the promotion of co-management.