Fishmeal plant: A threat to food and nutritional security?

The setting up of fishmeal production plants can intensify the over-exploitation of fisheries resources in Senegal and the West African sub-region, warned the president of the association for the promotion and empowerment of maritime fisheries actors (APRAPAM).  Gaoussou Gueye spoke on this subject at the seventh forum on “Fishmeal production: challenges for West African coastal communities”, in 2017 in Senegal.

Very worried, the professional assumes: “If we understand that this cross-border resource, especially small pelagic, where there is a need to set up rules of good governance, transparency and shared stock policies with our neighbours, we risk food insecurity in our countries”. He argues that fish represents a lot in terms of job creation, food security and social stability.

The president of APRAPAM, recalls that small pelagic are the “food safety net” of local populations, believes that if nothing is done about these plants, actors will lose their jobs in Senegal’s artisanal fisheries, which provide about 600,000 direct and indirect jobs.

“This issue is even more painful, because we do not know how these plants were installed and by whom,” Gaoussou Gueye lamented. However, he recalls, during the first international conference on transparency in the fisheries sector, held in February 2015 in Nouakchott, Mauritania, the President of the Republic, Macky Sall had made a commitment to transparency in the fisheries sector. “But what is the situation today “?

 “I wonder if the President of the Republic is really aware of the disaster that these fishmeal factories represent, at all levels, particularly in terms of food, but also in terms of the management, rationalization and sustainability of the resource, as well as their impact on the environment and the health of the population” say the president of APRAPAM

Taking into account the importance of small pelagic in Senegal and West Africa, Mr Gueye, who is also president of the African Confederation of Professional Organisations of Artisanal Fisheries (CAOPA), advised against using fishmeal to feed livestock and poultry, to the detriment of human consumption.

The issue of fishmeal production

According to a study carried out by APRAPAM in 2017, the consequence of the uncontrolled proliferation of this activity results in adverse impacts on the resource, food security and jobs, the environment and the public health of those living near these fishmeal production units. This is due to the fact that the raw material for fishmeal is almost exclusively sardinella, a specy that is today the main source of animal protein, employment and income for artisanal fishers and the populations of the sub-region.

In West Africa, the dangers associated with the increasing presence of fishmeal factories include: “Over-exploitation of sardinella

On this point, the FAO/COPACE working group, made up of experts represent coastal states and countries fishing in the sub-region, has recommended for several years the reduction of fishing effort on this resource, which is recognized to be over-exploited due to increasing pressure, particularly from fishmeal production.

On the “food insecurity” aspect, the scarcity is already being felt by consumers through the soaring prices of sardinella on the beaches. Indeed, “to meet the increasing demand, flour factories have to turn to fresh fish, especially sardinella, caught by industrial and artisanal vessels equipped for this purpose. Thus, meal production is a potential competitor for consumer markets, undermining the food security of poor people in West Africa,” the study reveals.

In this regard, it is worth recalling “The Malabo Declaration on Accelerated Agricultural Growth and Transformation in Africa for Shared Prosperity and Improved Livelihoods, adopted by the member countries of the African Union in 2014”. This declaration is a commitment by all African countries to eliminate hunger on the continent by 2025. The proposed actions and commitments seek to end hunger for good while safeguarding the environment and improving the livelihoods of the most vulnerable.

What about the impact on employment?

According to the study’s findings, the meal industry is developing at the expense of jobs in artisanal fisheries, especially among women processors and fish traders who supply these small pelagic for local and regional consumption.

Furthermore, information from studies on “Africa and the demographic dividend” indicates that: “Between 2000 and 2050, the size of the working-age population in Africa is expected to grow from 442 to 1400 million.”

To cope with high population growth, “African countries need to develop sub-sectors of the economy that are labour-intensive and allow for the creation of better paying jobs so that economic growth and poverty reduction can take place”: this is the case of artisanal fisheries.

APRAPAM survey reports that “fishmeal factories discharge toxic waste into the sea. Moreover, the thick smoke emitted by the factories pollutes the air and is a danger to public health. This smoke is the cause of numerous pathologies such as allergy, asthma and respiratory diseases, especially in children and people with chronic diseases.”

It has also been noted in some countries, notably Mauritania, that a large number of people living near factories suffer from allergies, gastritis, burns of the mouth and oesophagitis.

Synthesis by Aliou DIALLO

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