Edito 

West-African artisan fishers aim to be heard.

Initially considered as a low-importance sector, fishing has finally reached during the last 30 years the top 3 income generators of the west-African economic sectors. In 2006, fishing activity contributed about 50% of Mauritius’ incomes, and fishing represents today the 1st export sector of Senegal. For coastal communities, fishing means food security, jobs, and incomes. Fishing activity covers 75% of protein needs in Senegal and employs 600.000 people. Artisanal fishing is responsible for 90% of these jobs.

However, despite such economic, social, and nutritional benefits –associated with social and cultural values-, artisan fishers’ living conditions are often precarious and poor. This stands on several factors including the exclusion of artisan fishers’ communities from development processes as a whole, due to their precarious organizational structures, and due to both their weak representation and participation to decision processes.

But West-African professionals of artisanal fishing sector won't have any of it. They aim to be duly heard. That is the reason why they created in 2006 the Permanent Regional Forum (FRP) of West-African professionals of artisanal fishing sector –with the support of the West-African Association for the Development of Artisanal Fisheries (WADAF), member organization of the Responsible Fishing Alliance (RFA)-. The FRP aims to establish a concerted management of the marine fish resources from environmental, social, and economic points of view, as well as the development of a durable alternative aquaculture. The FRP aims to become the megaphone of all actors of the artisanal fishing sector in order to defend their interests at national, regional, and international levels. The FRP has 3 key objectives:

• To create an information network between professional actors;
• To organize and then periodically animate concertation meetings in order to debate questions that require harmonized positions within the West-African sub-region;
• To mobilize appropriate resources in order to conduct specific trainings, and to initiate and then help the establishment of projects of sustainable development for the artisanal fish supply chain;

Actually, artisanal fishing organizations of 11 West-African countries are members of the FRP: Cape Verde, Benin, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Bissau-Guinea, Mali, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, and Sierra Leone.

The FRP closely cooperates –through the WADAF organization- with both the World Forum of Fish Harvesters and Fish Workers (WFF) and the RFA.

On October 17, 2009, a meeting between the Administrative Council of the WADAF and the FRP will take place in Dakar. This will aim:

• To evaluate the relevancy of the FRP since its establishment to date;
• To revise and update both the Convention and the Charter of the FRP;
• To define a 2 years action plan for the FRP and to highlight associated responsibilities;
• To define WADAF’s role towards the FRP and to define WADAF’s precise mandate in this field.

Conclusions of this meeting will be validated by the WADAF’s General Assembly that will take place on October 18 and 19, 2009. The RFA will be represented by its Coordinator who will introduce the project « international label of artisanal fishing » highly awaited by West-African professionals.

Charles BAKUNDAKWITA,
WADAF’s Executive Secretary.
September 26, 2009.