By Abdoulie Daffeh and Kawsu Daffeh
Fishermen operating at the Tanji Fishing Centre have called on the government to urgently regulate fishing activities at the centre and strengthen controls over fishing operations along the Gambian coast.
The fishermen said they were facing numerous challenges that were making it increasingly difficult for local artisanal fishermen to operate their businesses and sustain their livelihoods.
Speaking to the Voice Newspaper at the Tanji landing site on Monday, the fishermen expressed concern over what they described as an increasingly difficult operating environment, particularly due to the activities of unauthorized trawlers.
Alagie Momodou Kanteh, a senior fisherman and a respected figure at the Tanji Fishing Centre, identified the presence of unauthorized trawlers as one of the major threats to their livelihoods.
“The majority of those affecting us are unauthorised trawlers. Their operations seriously affect our business,” Kanteh said.
He said the activities of such trawlers were affecting the income of local fishermen who depend on their daily catches to support their families.
According to Kanteh, some industrial trawlers operate in areas reserved for artisanal fishermen, damaging fishing nets and contributing to the depletion of fish stocks on which coastal communities have depended for generations.
He said the situation had resulted in reduced catches, increased operational costs and growing economic difficulties for fishermen and their families in Tanji and surrounding communities.
Another fisherman, Yorro Jallow, appealed to the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources to provide greater support to local fishermen, including access to quality fishing equipment.
“We need support. We need quality fishing equipment to do our work effectively. And we need the government to control this business properly. If the system is controlled, we will all benefit,” Jallow said.
The fishermen also spoke about the broader social environment in the country, calling on Gambians to maintain discipline and engage in activities that contribute to national development.
They urged citizens to avoid excessive involvement in divisive politics, tribalism and the bullying of others on social media, saying such practices could undermine national unity and development.
The fishermen expressed hope that their concerns would reach the relevant authorities and lead to concrete measures to protect the livelihoods of artisanal fishermen and improve the management of the country’s fisheries sector.
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