The Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) has developed a new toolkit to support the sustainable management of small-scale fisheries in Senegal.
Produced by EJF with funding from the European Union, the toolkit empowers local fishing communities to manage marine resources and combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, a major threat to marine biodiversity and food security.
“In Senegal, as in too many countries of the global south, coastal communities are among the hardest hit by declining fish populations,” explained Steve Trent, EJF chief executive and founder.
“These challenges are compounded by the rampant problem of IUU fishing, which accounts for one in five fish caught worldwide and costs the global economy billions of dollars each year.
Artisanal marine fisheries contribute over 25 million tonnes of fish annually, supporting global food security and generating US$58 billion, but 38% are overexploited, according to the FAO, threatening their sustainability.
EJF’s new toolkit empowers artisanal fishers with the DASE app, enabling them to capture geo-located evidence of illegal fishing, which is verified by experts and reported to authorities for action.
Key features
The toolkit focuses on three areas:
- Establish effective surveillance mechanisms to deter and eliminate IUU fishing.
- Promote community co-management associations, whereby national authorities work with local communities to share responsibility for governing marine resources.
- Strengthen national fishers’ associations to give them a stronger voice in policymaking.
The app has already been instrumental in combatting IUU fishing, with nearly 850 reports submitted during 2023.
“These reports have resulted in more accurate documentation of alleged incursions, conflict resolution with industrial fishers, increased compliance with fishing permits and safety protocols, and reduced landings of juvenile fish,” said Bassirou Diarra, EJF oceans campaigner.
