Artisanal fishers’ rights continue to be violated

Fishers from the FishNet Alliance across the coast of Africa held a general assembly and conference in Durban recently under the theme ‘Ocean, Extractivism and Renewable Energy’.

The gathering was attended by members of the Alliance from South Africa, Senegal, Togo, Nigeria, and Mozambique, including new members from Uganda, South Sudan and Cameroon, as well as Oilwatch Africa and Oilwatch International members and allies from 20 countries.

As per FishNet, the general assembly and conference observed that:

· The rights of artisanal fishers continue to be violated by extractive projects. These rights violations are fueled by the extractivism and colonialism practices.

· The offshore extraction activities and oil and gas infrastructure installations are dangerous and destructive to the livelihoods of coastal communities. The systemic and subtle extension of the extractivists’ colonial roots through the introduction of concepts like the Blue Economy are going to worsen the situation of fisher folks who are already paying the price for grabbing of ‘our resources’. The sea and other water bodies are also under constant attack, and the new dynamics brought by the push for renewable offshore energy are also noted.

· Industrial fishers are laxly regulated and act with impunity. Instead, artisanal fishers are intimidated and repressed by both the state and these commercial fish merchants. The industrial fishers are responsible for overcapacity, illegal, reported and unregulated fishing and not the artisanal fishers’ who fish with poles, hooks and specific net sizes.

· Coastal and fishing communities are being washed away as a result of coastal erosion and sea encroachment engendered by climate change. These fisher folks’ communities are fast turning into refugees in their own countries as their territories are being washed away.

· The emerging issues of green hydrogen extend the same colonial logic of extractivism to satisfy the insatiable hunger of capitalism and only minimise the drive for a true people’s just transition.

· The mangrove forests play a big role in preserving fisheries and building local economies.

FishNet Alliance stands in solidarity with its members and other fishers’ communities in the struggle and declares that the ocean, communities and socio-cultural wellbeing are not for sale; artisanal fishers must be recognised, consulted, supported and protected and must be adequately represented in ocean and maritime policy discourse.

Also, the Alliance denounces and rejects any form of grabbing of its waters for the production of so-called green hydrogen and that all deltas and protected areas in Africa must be declared no-mining no-exploitation zones.

This declaration has been endorsed by numerous members and affiliates.

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