Senegalese fishermen, fishing in Gambia’s territorial waters, have been demanding payment for their catches in CFA as the Gambian population grapples with soaring fish prices.
It has now become a daily struggle for many Gambians and non-Gambians, who are domicile in The Gambia, to afford a decent fish thanks to prohibitive fish prices and dwindling catches.
The situation has not only placed a huge financial burden on breadwinners but has also been hugely threatening the nutrition security of many Gambian households.
“Senegalese fishermen are now insisting on being paid for their fish in CFA,” fishmonger Fatou Sarr told JollofNews in a tone of despair and frustration.
According to Fatou, many fisher folks, especially women, could go out of business if the situation persists.
“Many women could see their livelihoods destroyed if the Senegalese fishermen should continue insisting on being paid in CFA for their catches on Gambian shores,” she stated.
Like Fatou, some women fishmongers, who spoke to JollofNews, described the outlook as bleak unless the government intervenes appropriately.
“Fish prices have been rising astronomically of late and the insistence on CFA as a medium of fish trade by Senegalese fishermen could only exacerbate the fish palaver and many of us would have to start etching out a living somewhere else because we do not have the financial muscle to sustain all these pressures,” she pointed out.
Meanwhile in 2023, the Gambia government injected a new lease of life into the fishing agreement between Banjul and Dakar, which grants the right to any vessel registered in Senegal to fish in Gambian waters. The agreement has been extended by four years.
