In the « Maps in Motion » section, Flavie Holzinger examines illegal fishing along the West African coast, a topic that resonates with the fishing agreement between the European Union and Senegal, which was in place since 2014 and came to an end on November 17, 2024.
With:
Flavie Holzinger, Journalist at the Infographics department of Le Monde newspaper.
Since 2014, the European Union and Senegal were bound by a fishing agreement allowing European vessels to operate in Senegalese waters. On November 17, 2024, Senegal unilaterally decided to end the agreement to protect its traditional fishermen. This decision was contested by the European Union, which cited Dakar’s shortcomings in combating illegal fishing.
The West African Coast: An Overexploited Reserve
This week’s map shows the West African coast, from Mauritania to Sierra Leone, highlighting the intensity of fishing activity in terms of hours of apparent activity. This fishing activity has been mapped using the Automatic Identification System (AIS), a technology used by Global Fishing Watch. AIS is a system of automated data exchange between ships designed to prevent collisions.
Africa’s Atlantic coastline is home to exceptional fish reserves, but it suffers from overexploitation due to illegal fishing. Illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing (IUU fishing) refers to any fishing activity conducted in violation of laws and regulations.
Approximately 20% of illegally caught fish worldwide come from the waters of six West African countries: Cape Verde, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, Senegal, and Sierra Leone. The financial loss linked to illegal fishing for West African countries is estimated to range between $2.3 billion and $9.4 billion per year. This situation not only weakens the economy but also jeopardizes food security for coastal nations.
A map highlighting fishing intensity
On our map, the orange color represents Chinese vessels, while the green color represents African vessels. Illegal fishing is often carried out by foreign ships, primarily Chinese. These ships take quantities that exceed the regeneration capacity of fish stocks, disregarding regulations. As seen in our graph, the majority of boats fishing off the northwest African coast in 2024 are Chinese.
However, China is an undisputed giant of the seas, thanks to the size of its fleet, its production, and its illegal fishing practices.
According to the IUU Fishing Index, among the 152 coastal states analyzed in 2019 and 2022, China ranked first in terms of illegal fishing.
This comes as no surprise, given that China’s fleet accounts for nearly 15% of global fishing, making China the world’s largest fishing nation, with 11.8 million tons of fish caught in 2022.
It is also the world’s leading importer of fishmeal.
China’s vast fishing fleet is said to consist of more than 2,700 deep-sea vessels, according to official Chinese government data. However, some estimates suggest the fleet could be as large as 17,000 vessels. By comparison, the European Union’s deep-sea fleet comprised only 259 vessels in 2022.
What makes the phenomenon of Chinese illegal fishing even more difficult to quantify is that, in order to avoid sanctions, Chinese trawlers often use shell companies or fly African flags, making it easier to obtain fishing licenses.
An area already plagued by maritime crime
In the Gulf of Guinea, fishing vessels are used for smuggling arms, drugs, oil, and also for piracy. In March, a record seizure of 10 tons of cocaine was made by the French Navy as part of Operation « Corymbe. »
This operation, which allows France to deploy one or two French ships in the Gulf of Guinea on a near-permanent basis since 1990, contributes to strengthening the capacities of the regional navies and enhancing the development of the Yaoundé Architecture, ensuring regional maritime security.
The Yaoundé Architecture is a framework set up by African countries in 2013. It represents Africa’s commitment to fighting maritime threats in the Gulf of Guinea. It brings together member countries from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), and the Gulf of Guinea Commission (GGC).
We also learn that the African Atlantic coastline, from Morocco to Ivory Coast, is home to one of the richest ecosystems on the planet. And for good reason! Our diagram shows a phenomenon called upwelling: upwelling is a process where cold water rich in plankton rises to the surface, promoting the abundance of crustaceans, « noble » fish such as sole, red mullet, and grouper, as well as cephalopods like octopus and squid, which are highly valued for their market price and also… attract foreign appetites.
Source: Radio France
