The tenth edition of the World Social Forum (WSF) was held in Dakar, from 06th to 11th February 2011. Like other civil society actors, fishermen from different African countries and throughout the world were present. Just before the great meeting, a brainstorming and sharing workshop on fisheries was held in Africa. Indeed, when fishing is known to play an increasingly important role in regard to security and food sovereignty in Africa, there are certain phenomena that could divert fishing away from this vital mission for a large part of the population.  

Among these phenomena, the greater concern is undoubtedly the scarcity of fishery resources resulting from the combined effects of industrial and artisanal overfishing –increasingly intensive and sophisticated–, and the illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU fishing). This overharvesting is a direct consequence of the gradual increase in the price of fish, which is becoming more and more unaffordable for the average citizen. It is also a direct cause of unemployment among a large number of women who process the fish, because they are deprived from raw materials, as well as of the illegal immigration of young people who need to find a source of income.  

International trade agreements promoted by the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the negotiation of Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) between the Éuropean Union and the African, Caribbean and Pacific States (ACP) is another phenomenon that favours the strongest over the weakest and diverts the best resource to the highest bidder.

Finally, the climate change is a new phenomenon that could change the current ecological balance. Undoubtedly, it will lead to a change in the geographical distribution and in the quality of fishery resources.  

These phenomena affect fishermen in different countries. How do they cope with the problem on a daily basis? The brainstorming workshop on the dynamics, issues and challenges of fisheries in Africa was an opportunity for actors from diverse countries to tell their experiences, discover, exchange, share and learn from each other around the manifestation of these phenomena in their work, but particularly in their practices, concerns and expectations.

The interest of this workshop lied in the diversity regarding the participants’ countries and in the richness of their experiences.

The workshop’s goals were:

• Discovering the others, their practices, their concerns and expectations
• Knowledge sharing and joint development of concrete proposals
• Establishing the basis of an exchange network among the participants.