{'We only have the sea to live on' - Senegal's fishermen attribute gas plant for shrinking catch

Every day, a local fisherman, who fishes in the northern coastal city of St. Louis, heads to sea with conflicting feelings: hope and frustration.

He hopes he will catch more fish than yesterday, yet he is frustrated by the thought that his catch might not meet his needs.

"Previously, we fished to make a living, but now we just work to survive," says the young fisherman.

Like him, many other artisanal, traditional fishermen in this fishing community - an important fishing center - are experiencing difficulties.

The main cause: Gas facility

Numerous fishermen and people linked to the fishing trade all blame one factor - a LNG facility that is located on the sea boundary between the two West African nations, just offshore of the city.

The expensive offshore project is projected to produce approximately 2.3 million tons of LNG per year for over 20 years.

Nevertheless, local people of the city say this brings fishing limitations which ninety percent of the city's population of over 250,000 depend on for their income.

Limited access and economic impact

Traveling 6.2 miles offshore, fishermen get near the large platform but cannot get any closer due to a 500-meter exclusion zone which restricts fishing.

"Officials prohibit us to fish in that area of the platform, under penalty of confiscation or even destruction of our nets if we enter the area," explains one fisherman.

Local fishers say the platform is built around a underwater reef teeming with marine life – the restrictions mean their yields decrease and they barely earn a living.

"There's great frustration," says one fisherman. "Sometimes we remain until 4pm twiddling our thumbs, without any catch."

Financial consequences on local residents

Processing is typically mainly handled by women. But with the decrease in the fish population in Saint-Louis, numerous women are losing their jobs.

One local woman, who processes fish in the open air, says many workers who once worked alongside her at a fish processing site are now without work.

"Seafood is now too expensive, shipping expenses are expensive. Today, we earn just enough to cover expenses," says the mother of 10.

Fishermen say they previously earned between $400-600 from a day's fishing, but currently, they barely make $90.

Decreasing income are pushing many fishermen, to think about leaving their centuries-old practice.

"We have no choice to persist with our fishing activity, because we have no other choice," he says. "But if a job opportunity appears, we will take it immediately."

Alternative livelihoods and unfulfilled commitments

Some fishermen have already abandoned fishing for alternative opportunities, including seeking work abroad.

One of those no longer fishing is 38-year-old a former fisherman. For several years, the experienced fisher has also been working as a woodworker - producing, repairing and painting canoes.

"Currently, I earn a better living with woodworking than with catching fish," he admits.

Although he acknowledges the carpentry job is inconsistent, he feels traditional fishing has become "extremely challenging" because of the LNG facility.

Members of a community group supporting small-scale fishers in Saint-Louis say the company has failed to deliver its commitment to build alternative fishing areas where they could improve their harvest.

"When they came in 2019, they promised locals: 'We're going to build you multiple fishing reefs' to at least replace our traditional fishing grounds," says a fishermen's representative.

However, he says that six years on "no progress has been made."

Safety issues and continuing conflicts

The operators says in recent years, feasibility studies and additional analysis showed that only a couple of 12 reef sites were "considered suitable for a large artificial reef."

Fishermen say operators plans to build the artificial reef just 4km from the coastline, describing the position as unsuitable to attract fish.

Recently, there was an incident called "gas bubbles" in a production well.

Mamadou Ba, a Dakar-based marine advocate with an environmental organization, says such incidents could have "immeasurable effects" on the marine ecosystem.

"Operators has not revealed the true quantity of the gas leak," says the campaigner.

He explains research shows that this type of incident had the potential to damage marine fauna and flora, reefs, sea plants and food sources that support fish populations.

Uncertain future for local residents

Representatives of the small-scale fishers in the city say the assurance of financial benefits through the project comes at a great cost.

They argue it prevents them of free access to their traditional fishing grounds, leaving them with an uncertain future.

Additionally, they blame the authorities of supporting the company to their detriment.

"We only have the ocean to survive from," says one fisherman.

While developments proceed, local residents in Saint-Louis confront an challenging choice between industrial progress and traditional livelihoods.