**DAKAR, Senegal โ** The depletion of fish stocks in Senegal due to foreign overfishing is significantly contributing to the migration of Senegalese citizens to Spain, according to a report published on Tuesday. The Environmental Justice Foundation, a London-based organization dedicated to environmental and human rights advocacy, reveals that illegal overfishing and harmful practices by foreign vessels have led to a rise in irregular migration to Spain. This conclusion was drawn from interviews with fishermen in both Spain and Senegal and through prior research regarding foreign fishing practices.
The report highlights that 57% of fish stocks in Senegal are experiencing a โstate of collapse,โ largely attributed to foreign vessels. The analysis disclosed that 43.7% of licensed vessels operating in Senegal are foreign-controlled, primarily managed by entities from Spain and China.
With fish populations dwindling drastically, many local fishermen are faced with financial insecurity, compelling them to seek alternative opportunities through migration. Fishing is a vital sector in Senegalโs economy and provides employment for 3% of the workforce.
Statistics from the Spanish Interior Ministry show that irregular migration to the Canary Islands nearly doubled in 2024, with figures reaching 46,843. Though exact numbers remain elusive due to insufficient data on departures from West Africa, Senegal features prominently among the top three nationalities of migrants arriving at the Spanish islands.
The perilous Atlantic journey from West Africa to the Canary Islands is one of the most lethal migrant routes globally. The Spanish migrant rights organization, Walking Borders, estimates thousands of migrants perished on this route last year.
Migrants and former fishermen now residing in the Canary Islands shared with the Environmental Justice Foundation their lament over taking the risky journey to Spain as a final option, an effort to support their families after local fishing opportunities diminished. Memedou Racine Seck expressed his regret: โIf I was able to gain enough money in fishing, I would never have come to Europe.โ
Local Senegalese activists have expressed their displeasure regarding foreign overfishing and its role in the migration crisis. Karim Sall, head of AGIRE, a Senegalese entity working in the Joal-Fadiouth marine protected area, criticized foreign entities for exacerbating the situation. โI get so angry when (foreign nations) complain about immigration because they are the real pirates and what they did is worse than clandestine immigration. Itโs theft, plundering our resources to feed their own inhabitants while we suffer,โ Sall stated.
The situation is further aggravated by industrial foreign fleets employing bottom trawling techniques. These fleets drag large nets along the seafloor, capturing young fish indiscriminately and destroying vital marine ecosystems such as seagrass and coral reefs necessary for fish reproduction. Consequently, fish stocks struggle to recover, worsening living conditions for local fishing communities. Fish is an essential component of food security and a primary protein source in Senegal. Due to declining fish stocks, fish consumption per person in Senegal has decreased from 29 kilograms to 17.8 kilograms annually.
Moreover, the report cites inadequate transparency in the issuance of fishing licenses and insufficient government oversight in managing fisheries as contributing factors. Despite the Senegalese governmentโs initiatives to tackle the crisis, experts caution that without stringent regulation of foreign industrial fleets, the situation will deteriorate further.
Migrant Souleymane Sady, who reached the Canary Islands in 2020, encapsulated the predicament faced by Senegalese fishermen: โSince the government cannot regulate the boats and we cannot work normally, we choose to run away from the country to come for stability,โ he remarked.