I inherited fishing from my mother’s side. My great-grandparents were fishermen but at the moment we have children who no longer fish because fishing no longer delivers the good.
Fishing
We fish both during the day and at night. When it is very dark at night, it is really easy to to see the fish, so you’ll catch us fishing mostly at that time. We leave at 7 p.m. and fish until 7 a.m. Fishing at night also means we can sell our catch quickly while avoiding the jostling that comes with selling in the day.
We sell the fish to fishmongers or any customers who come forward. We eat the fish as well.
Impact of foreign industrial fleets
Small-scale and industrial fishing are different. They can coexist if everyone respects their commitments and limits. Industrial fishing cannot be prevented. We don’t even make nets in Senegal. They are mostly imported from Spain and China, so these countries are helping us in some ways.
The amount of fish has decreased by too much. We adapted by letting members of the family do other jobs instead of relying exclusively on fishing. In the past, two hours of fishing was enough, but these days, you need to fish seven hours at a time, four days in a row, and have one rest day.
There are fleets from Asia and the European Union. They, especially the Asian boats, take everything in their path. We have little contact with them except for occasional greetings. However, they do help us out in the rare moments when we need mechanical aid.
Unionism
There are groups of people who make statements in the media. Most fishermen prefer to ignore the government and not protest because, for them, it is a waste of time; these fleets are very powerful.
Our equipment are expensive, and banks do not give us loans because we do not have collateral.
Migration
Personally, I am not against migration, but there are many risks and human losses. The young people who migrate often do not have a choice.