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What has become of Mauritania's fishermen fifteen years after the authorities signed an agreement with China?

August 4, 2025

Mauritania's fishing industry, once vibrant and sustainable, now faces severe threats from large-scale foreign industrial fishing vessels, with Chinese trawlers comprising approximately 80 percent of industrial ships in Mauritanian waters. This dominance stems from a 2010 agreement granting China 25-year fishing rights in exchange for a $100 million investment in a fish processing plant in Nouadhibou. The resulting unchecked fishing has devastated local fish stocks, particularly affecting traditional fishermen who cannot compete with technologically advanced Chinese vessels.

Who is affected

  • Traditional Mauritanian fishermen and their families who can no longer catch enough fish to sustain their livelihoods
  • The Imraguen community, a nomadic fishing group whose generational livelihood is threatened
  • Hundreds of thousands of Mauritanians formally and informally employed in the fishing sector
  • Local consumers who previously relied on fish markets for food
  • Marine ecosystems, with species like octopus and yellow mullet disappearing from local waters
  • Mauritania's broader economy, as fishing represents 10% of GDP and 35-50% of exports

What action is being taken

  • Mauritanian civil society organizations and international groups like Greenpeace Africa are documenting and denouncing Chinese dominance in Mauritanian waters
  • Local fishermen are being forced to venture into deeper waters at greater cost to find fish
  • Chinese companies are operating fish processing plants along Mauritania's coast to produce fishmeal and fish oil for export
  • Chinese state media is portraying their fishing enterprises as modernizing forces and environmental stewards while building infrastructure like the "friendship port" in Nouadhibou

Why it matters

  • Fishing provides essential income and food security for hundreds of thousands of Mauritanians
  • The depletion of fish stocks threatens both local livelihoods and marine biodiversity
  • The 25-year agreement with China has marginalized local fishermen without providing alternative livelihoods
  • The situation in Mauritania reflects a broader pattern across West Africa where foreign vessels dominate fishing waters
  • The decline in West African fishing industries has contributed to increased illegal migration to Europe, often with fatal consequences
  • The situation highlights disparities between how Chinese state media portrays these fishing partnerships versus the reality experienced by local communities

What's next

  • No explicit next steps stated in the article

Read full article from source: Global Voices