Chinese fishmeal plants leave fishermen in the Gambia all at sea
Fishing is woven deeply into everyday life along The Gambia’s Atlantic coast.
From the colourful pirogues landing their catches at places such as Gunjur, Sanyang and Tanji to the women who smoke, prepare and sell fish for local markets, the industry provides both food and income for thousands of people.
But a recent report in The Guardian has highlighted growing concern about a very different use for that catch: the production of fishmeal.
The article focuses on three Chinese-owned fishmeal factories operating on the Gambian coast and asks whether the demand they have created is placing too much pressure on fish stocks, local food supplies and traditional livelihoods.
What Is Fishmeal?
Fishmeal is made by cooking, pressing, drying and grinding fish into a concentrated powder. It is used around the world as a high-protein ingredient in feed, particularly for farmed fish and other animals.
In itself, that may sound like an efficient use of a natural resource. The concern in The Gambia is that the factories are not simply processing waste or fish which would otherwise go unused. They are competing for the same small pelagic fish that are an important and affordable part of the local diet.
Species such as sardinella are particularly important. They are eaten widely across West Africa and support a long chain of local employment, from fishermen to fish smokers, traders, transporters and market sellers.
Three Factories on a Very Small Coastline
The Gambia has only around 80 kilometres of Atlantic coastline, yet by early 2019 three Chinese-owned fishmeal plants were operating there.
The first, Golden Lead, began operating at Gunjur in 2016. Other factories subsequently opened at Kartong and Sanyang.
The arrival of the factories created a new, large-scale buyer for catches landed by artisanal fishermen. For some fishermen this has brought an obvious advantage: a guaranteed customer able to buy large quantities of fish quickly.
That is one of the reasons the issue is not entirely straightforward.
There are fishermen who have benefited financially from the new market. But the same demand can push prices upwards and leave traditional fish sellers competing with factories capable of purchasing an entire catch.
The Women Behind The Gambia’s Fish Trade
One of the most important points in The Guardian’s report concerns the women whose work has long been central to The Gambia’s fishing economy.
At landing sites along the coast, women buy fish directly from the boats. Some sell it fresh, while others smoke or dry it before it is transported to inland markets or neighbouring countries.
When a factory buys a large proportion of the available catch, those traders can be left with less fish to buy — and at a higher price.
That matters far beyond the beach. The traditional fishing economy supports families and communities throughout the country, and small fish such as sardinella provide an important source of protein for people on relatively low incomes.
If more of that fish is turned into meal for export, the debate quickly becomes one about food security as well as employment.
Pressure on Fish Stocks
The factories have arrived at a time when scientists are already concerned about pressure on small pelagic fish stocks across north-west Africa.
Sardinella migrate along the Atlantic coast and are therefore a shared regional resource. Heavy fishing in one country can have consequences elsewhere.
The Guardian report cites marine specialists who warn that the rapid growth of the fishmeal industry is increasing demand for these fish at the same time as stocks are already under strain from overfishing.
This creates an uncomfortable question for The Gambia: how much fish can be removed from the sea today without damaging the livelihoods and food supplies that will depend upon those stocks tomorrow?
Environmental Concerns in Gunjur and Kartong
The controversy is not limited to the number of fish being processed.
Communities around some of the factories have also raised concerns about waste disposal, smells, pollution and the effect on beaches and nearby wetlands.
At Gunjur, environmental campaigners have been particularly concerned about the area around the Bolong Fenyo lagoon. At Kartong, local people have also complained about the possible effects of factory waste on an area where fishing, farming and eco-tourism are all important.
The companies have disputed some of the accusations made against them, while regulators have at different times ordered factories to suspend operations.
For coastal communities, however, the wider worry remains: if pollution damages the sea, beaches or wetlands, the effects may be felt not only by fishermen but by tourism businesses, farmers and wildlife too.
Jobs, Investment and a Difficult Balance
Supporters of fishmeal production point to investment, employment and new markets for fishermen.
Those benefits cannot simply be ignored. The Gambia needs jobs and investment, and any new industry will naturally be welcomed by people who gain employment or a more reliable income from it.
But the question is whether those gains outweigh the wider costs if fish becomes less affordable locally, traditional processors lose work, stocks decline or coastal environments are damaged.
That is why this is such an important story for The Gambia.
It is not simply a dispute about three factories. It is a debate about how a small country manages one of its most valuable natural resources, how foreign investment should be regulated and who ultimately benefits when that resource is sold.
Read the Full Guardian Report
The Guardian’s report by Hannah Summers contains interviews with fishermen, female fish processors, scientists, factory workers and environmental campaigners, and gives a much fuller picture of the competing interests surrounding the industry.
Read: Chinese fishmeal plants leave fishermen in The Gambia all at sea
You can also read our related article about the wider pressure from industrial fishing fleets across West Africa: Is China’s fishing fleet taking all of West Africa’s fish?
