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Fisheries crisis in Senegal drives forced migration to Europe

A shocking new report from the Environmental Justice Foundation has provided a stark picture of the realities of the overfishing and illegal fishing that is driving forced migration among young Senegalese fishers across one of the most deadliest routes to Europe.

Words by Rob Hutchins
Photography by Environmental Justice Foundation

A new report issued by the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) has revealed the profound impacts of overfishing and illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing on Senegal’s fisheries, including forced migration to Europe that resulted in 3,000 deaths in 2023 alone.

Based on extensive research and interviews conducted by the EJF in Senegal and the Canary Islands, the investigation highlights the growing environmental and socio-economic impacts of increasing foreign industrial fishing. 

The report and the launch of a corresponding film has provided a stark picture of the challenges faced by a nation where small-scale fishing underpins the coastal economy and food security. The resulting declines in fish populations are currently driving increased forced migration to Europe across a deadly migration route that has led to 3,000 deaths in 2023.

Senegal’s fishing sector employs approximately 3% of the workforce and is a critical source of protein, contributing 7.9% of the population’s total intake. Artisanal fishers face mounting threats, particularly from destructive fishing methods like bottom trawling.

The situation has been severely worsened by extensive overfishing and illegal fishing by European and Chinese industrial fleets. These fleets, often operating under opaque joint venture agreements, deplete fish populations and exacerbate food insecurity.

The fish caught by the industrial fleets is mostly exported to foreign markets, primarily the European Union and increasingly, China. This has severely impacted the livelihoods of coastal communities and contributed to rising poverty, meaning migration has become a necessary coping strategy for many families.

Last year, the number of migrants entering Spain irregularly reached 63,970 – more than double the figure from 2022. A significant proportion reached the Canary Islands, with migrant numbers rising 200% between 2022 and 2024.

senegal fishing

Steve Trent, ceo and founder of the Environmental Justice Foundation, said: “This critical sector, which forms the socio-economic backbone of Senegal’s coastal communities, is in crisis.

“Small-scale fishers face overwhelming competition from industrial vessels, leading to deteriorating living conditions, diminished food security, and lost livelihoods. The consequences are far-reaching, contributing to a troubling increase in migrant deaths at sea.

“The European authorities can and must end this now, and return Senegal’s fisheries to the people of Senegal.”

The film follows the story of one young Senegalese fisher who is forced to make the perilous journey to Tenerife and his father, left behind across the Atlantic in their fishing community. Behind each life lost at sea from making this journey is a story much like his. In the film Abdou shares that “some people had the same dream and purpose as me, but they never arrived.”

This week, Oceanographic Magazine has published a special feature, following the story of the young Senegalese fishers to take a closer look at the crisis unfolding and that which is forcing many to undertake desperate measures to migrate to Europe.

As local conditions continue to deteriorate and jobs which people have relied on for generations rapidly disappear, it is expected that more Senegalese people will risk this dangerous journey in search of better opportunities.

Karim Sall, President of AGIRE, a Senegalese organisation operating in the Joal-Fadiouth marine protected area, said: “I get so angry when [foreign nations] complain about immigration because they are the real pirates and what they did is worse than clandestine immigration.

“We are risking our lives to go, but they come here to steal our fish. It’s theft – plundering our resources to feed their own inhabitants while we suffer.”

The report outlines key recommendations to end the crisis in Senegal’s fisheries and reduce the need to migrate. These recommendations are directed to the Senegalese government, the European Union, and industrial fishing entities operating in Senegalese waters, urging stronger governance and transparency to support Senegal’s fisheries and the communities dependent on them.

Click here for more from the Oceanographic Newsroom.

Photography by Environmental Justice Foundation

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