4. Understanding social relations in the community through meetings and workshops

Meetings and workshops are used to understand the positions and mindsets of leaders of professional groups within fishing communities. In Senegal, professional groups include fishermen, fishmongers, female processors, and distributors as well as local government officials, politicians, and other locally influential people. In large-scale fishing villages, groups may be organised by fishing method, such as purse seine fishermen’s group and gillnet fishermen’s groups. Whatever the group, it is necessary to understand the social relations in the target area by carefully observing the way of thinking from what people say at the fishing village meeting.