European fishing boats disappear off the coast of Senegal

BarcelonaIn an alley in the Raval district, the Top Manta union prints a sweatshirt with the slogan: "My dream wasn't to be a street vendor, I was a fisherman." "The issue isn't that there's not enough fish; it's that where we used to fish, there are now foreign boats that have signed contracts with our governments," explains Papalaye, a representative of the group. More than 4,000 kilometers away from the workshop, dozens of industrial fishing vessels from Chinese, French, Senegalese, and Spanish capital crowd the port of Dakar. Extractive fishing which makes traditional fishing disappear and which, according to several NGOs, is under suspicion of a series of irregularities.

Over the past decade, Senegal's capital has witnessed a steady growth in industrial fishing. This is evidenced by official government statistics, which state that fishing catches have increased from 418,000 tons to more than 530,000 tons in ten years. A situation that, according to the Environmental Justice Foundation, leaves 57% of Senegal's fish stocks in a state of collapse.

The increase in fishing is visible to the naked eye. Satellite images of the port of Dakar, which ARA has been able to consult and which OCEANA has confirmed as valid, show a progressive and steady increase in fishing vessels. The latest image, from January 2025, shows more than fifty large vessels, mostly trawlers, but also some longliners and factory ships. Twenty are over 45 meters in length.

Part of the increase in industrial fishing is explained by the recent arrival of Chinese companies, but also by a controversial alliance with Brussels. In 2014, a bilateral agreement between the European Union and Senegal came into effect, under which European authorities paid €1.7 million annually in exchange for allowing access to their vessels.

The agreement expired more than six months ago, and the door to renewal was closed amid a crisis in relations between the two parties. Brussels accused Dakar of failing to control illegal fishing, and the country's new president blamed the Europeans for the overexploitation of its maritime space.

However, despite this abrupt end, European (and Spanish) industrial fishing has not disappeared from the map. The Spanish Chamber of Commerce acknowledges that four Spanish shipowners operate in Senegal with multiple vessels partnered with local companies, and a journalistic investigation by Follow The Money estimates that European vessels—mainly Spanish and French—account for a fifth of the total in Dakar. On a 2021 trip, the ARA witnessed firsthand the discontent of local fishermen with the massive—and more powerful—presence of foreign vessels.

"When resources began to dwindle in Spain, especially in the 1980s and 1990s, fishing grounds were sought outside. A lot of investment was made in going to unexploited West African countries and bringing everything they caught here," explains Ignacio Fresco, senior researcher at OCEANA. "These were private agreements between companies and the local government, which gradually became more complex structures with facilities in Senegal and ferries for export," Fresco continues.

Radar system suspensions

Some of these Spanish-flagged or partner vessels are suspected of disabling the mandatory radar system for EU vessels, according to reports by NGOs OCEANA and ClientEarth. This deliberate suspension, lasting for days, could indicate illegal fishing in protected areas for traditional catches by the local population—essential for food security. The ARA has had access to two examples of alleged deliberate disabling of the AIS radar:

The boat **AXISThe Spanish-flagged vessel, built in 2000, turned off its AIS on April 10 in the Guinea-Bissau fishing zone—since it does not have a permit to fish in Senegal. The radar was switched on again on April 15, also in a permitted fishing zone, and switched off again the same day five hours later. Its position was no longer detectable until twenty days later, when it headed toward Dakar, a few miles before returning to port. **BAL III, on the other hand, flies the Senegalese flag despite being owned by a joint venture controlled by a Spanish company. It can fish in Senegalese maritime territory, but not in traditional fishing zones. It disappears for five days.

Although geolocation data has a margin of error, the prolonged and systematic nature of the gaps raises concerns, NGOs explain, and they are calling for Spain to intensify surveillance.

Madrid does not control the consortia

The General Secretariat of Fisheries is responsible for monitoring the overseas operations of Spanish-flagged vessels, but OCEANA and ClientEarth have filed a complaint with a Madrid court for failing to conduct surveillance of the partner companies. "We ask the Spanish authorities to investigate irregular activities of Spanish vessels flying the Senegalese flag when the ultimate beneficiary is a Spanish company," explains Fresco. According to the NGO, this obligation stems from European legislation, which states that it "applies to EU operators operating anywhere in the world and under any flag."

The Spanish government's response is that they lack jurisdiction and that it is Senegal's responsibility to investigate, as it is the flag holder. But Dakar is under scrutiny for allowing unflagged vessels to dock—despite being internationally prosecuted—or for exporting more tuna than legally permitted. Irregularities that have already earned it a yellow card from the European reprimand system.