Fisheries Subsidies and Sustainability: What's at stake for Senegal?

Senegal is known as a fishing nation. Can you give us an overview of the importance of fishing for Senegal, both economically and socially?

Senegal's more than 700 kilometres of coastline offer outstanding ecological conditions and a wealth of biological diversity. The fisheries sector provides thousands of jobs (more than 600,000 jobs according to some estimates) and significant foreign exchange earnings while contributing over 3% of GDP. Landings are estimated at 500,000 tonnes annually, with 80% of this amount being supplied by artisanal fishing, and the export value of fisheries products is estimated at CFA 300 billion (about 10% of total exports). [Annual per capita] consumption of fisheries products is around 29 kg on the national level and can reach 40 kg in coastal cities.

Fishing is a true pillar of the Senegalese culture and identity, and an integral part of the daily lives and lifestyles of the country's coastal populations.

Beyond its socio-economic importance, fishing is a true pillar of the Senegalese culture and identity, and an integral part of the daily lives and lifestyles of the country's coastal populations.

What are the main challenges facing Senegal's fisheries sector, especially in terms of sustainability?

Several types of challenges exist, arising primarily from a lack of control over access to fisheries resources and from imperfect knowledge of the harvesting potential. As a result, there is a mismatch between fishing efforts and the ability of fish stocks to regenerate themselves. This is why we are faced with excess capacity, overharvesting, and depletion of fisheries resources. This deterioration can even lead to the collapse of certain fish stocks.

We are faced with excess capacity, overharvesting, and depletion of fisheries resources.

Weak governing and management bodies and improper fishing practices—particularly illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing—must also be noted, along with climate change, ecosystem degradation, pollution, and coastal erosion.

The fisheries sector is, therefore, confronted with an accumulation of often interrelated pressures, which means that relevant solutions and enhanced governance are needed to ensure its continuity.

How does Senegal leverage regional and international cooperation to promote the protection of oceans and the sustainable harvesting of marine resources?

Senegal is a member of several subregional, regional, and international organizations. It has signed and/or ratified a number of conventions focusing on ocean protection and the sustainable harvesting of marine and coastal resources. Within these bodies, Senegal plays a very active role and has often brought forward initiatives aiming at improving sustainability. In particular, it played a significant role in the UN negotiations to protect high seas biodiversity, as well as in World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations on fisheries subsidies, which led to very important international agreements. In this way, Senegal is working to harmonize ocean protection and resource-harvesting policies, using international cooperation and the tools that go with it to make collective progress toward the sustainable management of marine resources.

For Senegal, achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for 2030 is also a priority, and as we all know, one of these goals is SDG 14, which deals with the conservation and sustainable use of the oceans.

Finally, Senegal has worked hard for the adoption of Target 3 (30x30) of the Convention on Biological Diversity's Global Biodiversity Framework, which calls for the protection of 30% of oceans and land by 2030.

As you mentioned earlier, the WTO adopted the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies in 2022, and Senegal ratified it more than a year ago. Why was it important for Senegal to ratify this agreement?

Fisheries subsidies are important public policy tools, but they can cause adverse effects and negative externalities. Harmful subsidies are one of the main factors behind overfishing, which is a real challenge for Senegal. The ratification and implementation of the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies will, among other things, help protect the oceans and combat the decline in fish stocks by dealing with the issue of overfishing. Bearing in mind the economic and social importance of its fisheries sector, Senegal has a duty to ensure that its fisheries resources are harvested in a sustainable, lasting way, which is why it has ratified the agreement and continues to work toward its effective implementation.

What benefits can we expect these new rules to bring to Senegal and, more broadly, to West Africa?

As discussed earlier with regard to Senegal, fishing is of paramount importance for the populations and economies of many other West African countries. This sector makes an essential contribution to food security, community livelihoods, payment balances, and so on. For example, in some countries of the region, fish accounts for more than half of the population's animal protein intake, and this is a national-level average; for some coastal communities, this share can be even higher. Ensuring the sustainability of the sector is therefore crucial.

These new rules will help protect the oceans and combat the decline in fish stocks by tackling the problem of overfishing. Indeed, some subsidies increase the pressure on fish stocks, driving their depletion while also encouraging the global scourge that is IUU fishing. The African continent is no exception to this rule; on the contrary, it suffers estimated annual economic losses of between USD 7.5 billion and USD 13.9 billion due to IUU fishing.

The African continent suffers estimated annual economic losses of between USD 7.5 billion and USD 13.9 billion due to IUU fishing.

WTO members have therefore agreed to ban these detrimental forms of subsidies and to ensure that the financial support provided by governments to fishing fleets is consistent with the sustainable management of marine resources. The implementation of these rules will not only enable West African countries to engage in an essential process of reflection on how best to support their fisheries sector and their coastal communities but should also help to combat the harmful fishing practices of certain foreign fleets in the waters of the region. This is an important point because some of these foreign fleets are frequently involved in IUU fishing activities, and they also target specific fish stocks that are considered to be overharvested, often to the detriment of local fishing communities.

In view of implementing these disciplines, the various countries will be able to benefit from technical assistance and capacity development through the WTO Fisheries Funding Mechanism. This fund, which has already been set up, will become available to all developing countries that have ratified the agreement once it comes into force.

Can you tell us what Senegal has put in place to prepare for the implementation of this agreement?

Senegal became actively involved in the implementation of this agreement at a very early stage. International workshops and working groups were organized prior to the adoption of the agreement. These efforts have continued since the agreement was adopted. Following the ratification of the agreement, two workshops were held to prepare for its implementation. Senegal carried out a self-assessment to identify and evaluate its deficiencies for the implementation of the agreement, as well as its needs in terms of technical assistance. To do this, it used the Self-Assessment Tool for the Implementation of the WTO Fisheries Subsidies Agreement designed by the International Institute for Sustainable Development. All these activities have helped make Senegal ready to move forward, and I hope the country will receive support from the Fisheries Funding Mechanism in the form of technical assistance and capacity development so it can more effectively implement the agreement.

For the least developed countries, it will be important for international assistance to step in to support these implementation efforts. In your opinion, which obstacles will these countries need to overcome, and in which areas will this support be the most needed?

Technical assistance and capacity development will be essential for the least developed countries as they work to implement the agreement. These countries will first need to identify and evaluate their shortcomings in an objective manner. This will allow them to clearly target the areas requiring technical assistance and capacity development. The actions needed to achieve compliance may vary from one country to another, but a good understanding of the agreement and its challenges is crucial at this stage.

It can be argued that the application of the rules of the agreement will require a range of measures. They include the collection and reporting of certain types of information, the establishment of coordination mechanisms between various government agencies, and the creation of rules and/or procedures ensuring that no prohibited subsidies are granted. More generally, the overall effectiveness of the agreement will also depend on the ability of developing countries to improve their fisheries management system with a view to ensuring sustainable harvesting. All these implementation issues mean that resources, which can be limited for least developed countries, will need to be mobilized. Technical support and assistance will, therefore, be essential to help these countries honour their commitments.

Subsidies are a crucial topic, but the sustainable harvesting of fisheries resources depends on many other factors, too. What kind of policy approach is needed, in Senegal and elsewhere, to tackle this goal in a holistic manner?

The sustainable harvesting of fisheries resources depends on many factors at once, so the best way to achieve it is by uniting all of these components within an intersectoral approach. In a context as complex as fisheries, with economic, social, and environmental challenges at stake, such an approach is crucial. It requires cooperation between various departments and actors with the aim of integrating, coordinating, and harmonizing efforts, from the planning stage all the way through to practical implementation. In the quest for integrated management of marine resources, all stakeholders have to be identified and to work together; no relevant actor must be left out.

Mamadou Diallo is a Senegalese expert.