African fishermen's plea as exploitation threatens livelihoods

© Phil Lockley 2011.

Small-boat fishermen from across Africa may be financially wiped out if bulk fishing off their shores by European boats continues, industry leaders across the South West have been told.  Fisherman from Cape Verde, Mauritania and Senegal were part of a delegation to visit Westcountry colleagues in an effort to spread warnings about their plight. A spokesman from Greenpeace, which organised the African Voices' trip to Newlyn Harbour, said: "The disastrous effects of overfishing by European fleets aren't confined to our continent's waters. Destructive European Union vessels are now exploiting the waters of the world's poorest nations, threatening ecosystems and depriving local fishermen of their livelihoods and the food security of their communities."

The delegation met Fisheries Minister Richard Benyon before taking in a tour of Newlyn market and exploring inshore vessels. An open meeting held later at the Fishermen's Mission allowed local seafarers to share their experiences. Celestino Oliveira, from Cape Verde, said: "Yes, our fishermen need to get together, but we must also focus our attention on fish suppliers and European retailers, supermarkets, right down to the people who eat those fish. "In reforming the Common Fisheries Policy in 2013 please don't forget us – look upon sustainability and the effects of your actions before you fish in our waters.
"You need to make money, our governments sign agreements with the EU, you rightfully wish to eat those fish. So why is it that our countries are signing those licences? Because monies coming as a result are vital to underdeveloped economies. "We have no resources to police your boats – the problem is not the licences issued in good faith, but the amount of illegal and unreported fishing that takes place as a result. "We are allowed to take 32,000 tons of tuna per year, but that represents just a quarter of the stocks we had available in the 1980s – yet to us tuna fishing provides jobs for a significant proportion of the country's population. So three-quarters of the stocks on which to fish have disappeared in the last 30 years."


Newlyn fish merchant Nick Howell talked of the Cornish handline mackerel fishermen's plight 30 years ago, fighting against large pelagic trawlers from Scotland, describing it as a parallel to the African Voices. He said: "What if we (in the UK) could never eat another fish? We would survive and move immediately to another protein source – fish is just another choice on the plate. "But those countries would literally starve as fish is at least 60 per cent of their protein, and 80 per cent of those entire communities are directly involved with small-scale fishing."


Newlyn small boat fisherman and boatbuilder Peter Downing said: "Your governments must get their act together. I have been to Gambia many times over the past 20 years, watched your fishermen and fish markets dwindle, and have seen the bigger boats come into your waters and take prime fish.
"The local markets and fishing communities are really suffering."