'Thousands' of Senegalese fishermen have vanished at sea, say Greenpeace

Greenpeace Africa believe that over the past 2 years, at least 226 fishermen have lost their lives at sea or have been declared missing.

A Senagalese fisherman shows a bottle with crabs inside to two boys on a beach at the fish market in Dakar, capital of Senegal in West Africa. Source: AP

Campaign group Greenpeace has urged Senegal to boost security for hard-pressed fishermen, saying "thousands" have disappeared at sea in recent years.

"At least 226 people have officially disappeared or lost their lives" in the past two years, Greenpeace senior oceans campaign manager Ibrahima Cisse told a press conference in Dakar.

The real number however "goes well beyond that. In fact, thousands are lost at sea," he added.

Fishermen wave to a Spanish patrol boat looking for would-be migrants, off the coast of Senegal. Thousands of fishermen have disappeared in the region Source: AP

Because many informal fishermen do not register with the authorities, official statistics are incomplete, he explained.

Competing with industrial fishing boats, with which their small craft sometimes collide, many fishermen search for fish far from the Senegalese coast, often in waters belonging to neighbouring Mauritania.

Because many informal fishermen do not register with the authorities, official statistics are incomplete, say Greenpeace. Source: AP

Bad weather and mechanical breakdowns are other major reasons why fishermen disappear, according to some who participated in the press briefing.

Abdourahmane Faye, who represented fishermen from Rufisque, near Dakar, urged the government to install equipment to locate boats, often just large canoes, that were in trouble.

Cisse said fishermen should be provided with life vests, be registered, and be covered by a national surveillance and rescue network.