In Rufisque, on the outskirts of Dakar, Ibrahima Mar has known the sea for 55 years. He first lost his livelihood, then his own son, who disappeared at sea as fish grew scarcer by the year. The fish keeps getting plundered, he told AFP, summing up in a single sentence what an entire profession feels as it watches a way of life passed down through generations collapse before its eyes.
Senegal’s fish stocks have been declining for roughly four decades, but it was the gradual disappearance of small pelagic species like sardinella and horse mackerel that truly alarmed artisanal fishermen. These fish, traditionally caught by Senegalese crews and a staple of the local diet, are now migrating north as climate change reshapes ocean conditions, even as fishing pressure keeps intensifying on the waters that remain.
The number of artisanal fishing canoes, known as pirogues, has meanwhile exploded, with estimates ranging between 12,000 and 19,000 boats now working the Senegalese coast. The trade attracts growing numbers of people because it requires little training, but that growth has mechanically added to the strain on an already fragile resource.
Beyond artisanal overfishing, much of the criticism falls on bottom trawlers and industrial vessels, often flying the Senegalese flag but tied to foreign interests. Many fishermen describe watching everything get swept up in their own path, leaving coastal communities that depend on the sea with little hope left. Monitoring fishing zones remains especially difficult given the length of Senegal’s coastline, limited enforcement resources and a lack of onboard tracking systems capable of following vessel activity in real time. That structural opacity makes it harder to enforce sustainable management rules or even get an accurate picture of how depleted the resource truly is.
Adding to the pressure is the rapid growth of offshore oil and gas extraction, symbolized by the Sangomar platforms. This expanding activity is steadily encroaching on traditional fishing grounds and worries artisanal fishermen, for whom the sea remains an economic, social and cultural lifeline all at once. A recent study by France’s IRD research institute highlights this uniquely Senegalese dilemma, how to reconcile the rise of offshore hydrocarbons with preserving a sustainable fishery that underpins the country’s food security.
That tension feeds into a broader debate over how fishing resources should be allocated. Should Senegal prioritize expanding industrial fishing and exports, or focus first on supplying local markets, particularly with small pelagic species that remain the main affordable source of animal protein for much of the population? The question regularly pits artisanal fishing organizations, women fish processors and NGOs against advocates of an export driven industrial fleet.
These structural tensions are compounded by recurring human tragedies. In January 2026, a fleeing boat struck a pirogue from Guet Ndar, leaving four fishermen missing at sea. That same month, ten Senegalese pirogues were detained in Guinea Bissau, a reminder of the growing risks fishermen take as they venture farther and farther from home in search of fish. In response to this deepening crisis, Professor Abdoulaye Sène recently published a book on the fishermen of Guet Ndar, arguing among other things for fiberglass pirogues designed by fishermen themselves, which would be safer than traditional wooden boats.
Faced with the scale of the crisis, Senegal’s president reaffirmed at the end of January 2026 that restructuring the sector remained a government priority, calling for a revision of the fishing code, a revival of artisanal fishing and a repositioning of aquaculture. The 2026 budget allocated to fisheries and the maritime economy stands at 32.8 billion CFA francs, with an emphasis on modernizing port infrastructure, from Ndayane to Kaolack, and combating coastal erosion, which continues to degrade fishing docks in places like Kafountine, Rufisque and Guéréo.
Whether these measures can reverse a four decade long decline remains an open question, as the sector continues to navigate a crisis shaped by overexploitation, industrial competition and the newest challenger of all, the growing pull of offshore oil.