14 DAY TRIAL // Yesterday, green group Sea Shepherd went public with the news that it was to launch a new anti-poaching campaign, i.e. Operation Sunu Gaal, this time in West Africa. Specifically, members of the organization are to spend several months patrolling Senegalese waters.
On its website, Sea Shepherd details that the goal of this latest anti-poaching campaign is to put a dent in illegal fishing activities in West African waters. Thus, the organization is to help fight IUU (Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated) fishing.
The organization explains that, according to recent investigations, illegal fishing operations are pretty much thriving in West Africa these days. It is estimated that IUU fishing in this part of the world alone accounts for 37% of the illegal fishing documented on a global scale annually.
Sea Shepherd argues that, all in all, such operations cost West African countries somewhere between €608 million - €1.2 billion ($441.5 million - $0.87 billion) yearly. Besides, there is little doubt that such activities threaten the wellbeing of local marine ecosystems.
Interestingly enough, the organization says that illegal fishing activities are at their most intense in Senegalese waters, which are often targeted by pirate fishing fleet from Europe, Asia and Russia. These waters are believed to be a hotspot for illegal fishing activities due to the fact that they are teeming with a wide variety of species including sharks, tuna, and swordfish.
Talking to the press, Minister of Fisheries and Maritime Affairs Haidar El Ali said that, as shown by recent estimates, Senegal's yearly losses linked to IUU fishing amounted to €230 million ($167 million), and that some 50 pirate vessels visited this country's waters annually.
High officials in Senegal hope that, with Sea Shepherd’s help, they will manage to curb illegal fishing operations off the country's coastline, and discourage pirate vessels from trying to fish in these waters. Thus, the organization has been given the green light to conduct law enforcement patrols in Senegalese waters.
“I want that through Sea Shepherd’s presence here in Senegal, the whole world will become aware of what is happening in my country. Our marine resources are being looted by illegal fishing fleets. If I called for Sea Shepherd’s assistance, it is because they go beyond theory and talks; they actually take action,” Haidar El Ali said in a statement.
Sea Shepherd says that the ship it has decided to send to Senegal is dubbed the M/Y Jairo Mora Sandoval, and that it bears the name of a 26-year-old conservationist in Costa Rica who was killed by poachers back in 2013 while protecting sea turtles.
Commenting on the organization's decision to help Senegal end illegal fishing activities in its waters, Lamya Essemlali, campaign coordinator and president of Sea Shepherd France said that, “Intervening against illegal fishing in a West African country is critical work for Sea Shepherd Global.”
Furthermore, “It is the area of the world most targeted by illegal fishing. Most of the fish stolen from Africa ends up on the plates of much richer countries that otherwise applaud themselves for the crumbs of charity that they throw to African countries. Countries like Senegal do not need charity, but rather the kind of justice possible only through effective law enforcement patrolling.”