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The fishing industry
was not spared by globalization,

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nor industrialization.

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Fishing has become difficult
for these local fishermen.

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There are fewer and fewer fish
and the competition is fierce.

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Industrial trawlers
are taking up more and more space.

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The Europeans and the Asians did that.

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Africa is poorer and poorer because of them.

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They steal our African fish.

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Overfishing,

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the social issues resulting from it
and climate change:

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an impending disaster threatens West Africa.

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The fishing industry is going through
an unprecedented crisis.

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It affects not only fish and food,

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but also Africa\'s development.

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In Senegal, two thirds of the population
live below the poverty line.

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They would stay in the country if they found work,

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if they had a future to build there.

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Since the beginning of this year,

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over 7,500 Africans
migrated illegally to the Canary Islands.

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More and more migrants
are ready to risk everything

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to reach this side of the Atlantic.

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In Senegal, fishing has long been considered
an inexhaustible gift from God.

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Located along a favorable sea current,

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the Senegalese have benefited
from this abundant resource for centuries.

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Sailors, net repairers,

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shell breakers,

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scalers,

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fish smokers,

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mechanics,

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carpenters,

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boat repairers.

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They all depend on fishing.

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Millions of Senegalese men and women
live off the precious fish.

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The desertification of Senegal’s lands
pushes many inhabitants towards the coasts

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where they try to work in the fishing industry.

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What they catch here
supplies the whole country with protein,

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even those living far from the sea.

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But, in recent years,
the fish that they thought were inexhaustible

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have become increasingly rare.

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Back then, we were unable
to estimate the number of fish.

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A fisherman never came home empty-handed.

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He even had to carefully choose
which species he wanted to take.

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Now it\'s completely different.

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There are fewer fish
and species are disappearing.

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This is the first time
I see pirogues for sale in Senegal.

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For sale.

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My name is Malick Sene.

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I\'m a fisherman and I own two boats
that set off to sea every day.

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This used to be profitable,
but that\'s no longer the case.

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We have to borrow nets, gas
and other everyday things.

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We can\'t always pay those loans off.

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Sometimes we remain at sea
for 20 days, a month, without any luck.

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And we are still in debt. Always.

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The consequences of this crisis
are felt everywhere along the coasts of Senegal.

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Joal-Fadiouth fishermen\'s union

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We all believe that fish are a gift from God
and that we will never run short of them.

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However, for the past 30 years, we\'ve noticed

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that there are fewer and fewer fish every year.

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Who do you think is to blame for this?

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The foreigners and their boats.

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They come and fish on our coasts, in our country.

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They catch even the smallest fish,
like sardinellas.

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Right now, we have too many pirogues
and too few resources.

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What will happen to us when the fish run out?

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We\'ll eat onions.

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Will we grow onions?

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No, we\'ll eat onions.

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If we don\'t have fish anymore,

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how will we make our thieboudienne?

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Are you familiar with peanut rice,
a dish from Saloum?

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People from Saloum will still have this, at least.

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The thieboudienne, a national rice and fish dish,
is not the only heritage that is in danger:

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the food and jobs
of millions of men and women are threatened.

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But where did all the precious fish go?

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What should Senegal do
in the face of this ecological and social tragedy?

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Can it restore order in its national waters?

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The problem is that foreign fishing fleets
are shamelessly plundering the Atlantic.

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How did Senegal, where fish used to abound,

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lose its most valuable treasure?

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The first mechanism
of this veritable descent into hell

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dates back to the end of the 1970s.

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Europe, wanting to improve its food security,

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requisitioned large fish stocks in Africa.

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This is the first convention about fishing

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signed between a community and a country

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that, like Senegal,
is a member of the Lomé Convention.

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A cordial handshake:
thus started the looting of Senegal\'s waters.

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These fishing agreements
authorize European vessels

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to fish in Senegalese waters.

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What are the financial compensations?

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Despite repeated requests
from local fishermen,

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the contents of the agreements
have never been revealed.

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In the 1980s, the fish was abundant.

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The European trawlers
were quickly joined by other ships

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who also wanted their share of the spoils.

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Within a few years,

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boats from all over the world
flocked to West Africa.

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The plundering of the Atlantic thus began.

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Trawlers drag heavy nets
along the bottom of the ocean.

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They thus destroy
the environment of marine flora and fauna.

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Fishermen helplessly watch
the looting of their fish.

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Their voice is silenced
by the industrial fishing armada.

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They destroy everything,

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and they throw about 80% of their catch
back into the sea.

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They could catch over 6,000 tons of fish per day.

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In a week, they caught more
than the local fishermen did in a year.

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They used factory ships.

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What they caught,
they immediately turned into processed goods.

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As the Senegalese presidents strengthened
their commercial relationships with Europe,

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the ocean continued to be drained.

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In the 2000s,
the situation became critical for fishermen

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who couldn\'t make themselves heard.

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The Senegalese government
didn\'t want to back down on the fishing agreements.

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Crises erupted in banks
because people couldn\'t survive.

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Serious problems arose, people died.

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The authorities didn\'t listen to us
because they were interested in the money,

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while all we wanted was fish.

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Every year, foreign trawlers
are more numerous and better equipped.

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At first quite unorganized,

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the fishermen gather in unions

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and multiply their demonstrations
to alert the authorities.

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We organized local demonstrations.

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There were some in Saint-Louis, in Kayar, in Joal,

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almost everywhere in Senegal,
along the 718 kilometers of coastline.

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It was a matter of survival.

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We could no longer make a living
off of our life\'s work.

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2011 was a breaking point.

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The fishermen\'s anger exploded in plain view.

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They decided to unite against the government.

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Two-term president Abdoulaye Wade

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was challenged by his minister Macky Sall,

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who promised to rid the Senegalese waters
of foreign ships.

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Everyone knows the big fish are gone.

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At this rate, there won\'t be
any fish left in Senegal in two years.

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In 2012, during the presidential elections,

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we told the fishermen
not to vote for the incumbent government,

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because they signed
the fishing agreements with Europe.

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The watchword was: \"my voice, my future\".

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March 25, 2012.

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The results are revealed.

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Macky Sall becomes
the President of the Republic of Senegal.

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Dear citizens,

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I\'m the president of the Senegalese people.

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I have faith that...

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It was a victory for the fishermen.

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Il y a urgence à agir dans le secteur de la pêche.

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I am determined to review the conditions
under which fishing licenses are granted

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and to take firm action against the pirate ships
that plunder our fish resources.

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With Macky Sall\'s election,

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fishing agreements with Europe
are officially suspended.

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European boats cannot fish
in Senegalese waters anymore.

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We\'ve managed to get rid of a \"regime\".

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We reached the European Union. We fought.

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A new hope was born for the fishermen.

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Two years later, in 2014,
after fairer negotiations,

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Senegal signed new fishing agreements
with the European Union.

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These are the first agreements

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since the implementation
of our new common fishing policy.

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This time, they are clear,

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and they limit the activity of European boats
to sectors that the Senegalese do not cover,

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like tuna fishing.

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But were all the issues finally solved?

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Agreements
and political speeches are important,

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but the reality is different.

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This apparent victory
for Senegalese fishermen

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triggered the second mechanism,

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much more obscure and insidious,
of the plunder of the Atlantic.

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We thought it was over.

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We thought we won the battle.
We thought we won the war, not just the battle.

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Unfortunately, we were wrong.

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Unfortunately, we were wrong.

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So in the mid 2000s,

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there was a wide-reaching campaign in Senegal
to stop the fishing agreement.

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And it worked.

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The government apparently understood
that it was a problem for the fishermen

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and decided not to renew the agreement.

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So the agreements were stopped.

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So at that time, fishermen were really happy,
they saw that as a big victory.

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But we kept documenting what was happening
with the European vessels and fleets.

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And what we saw
is that just after the agreement was stopped,

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several dozen of these vessels
couldn’t find a way to access Senegalese waters

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and so they reflagged to Senegal.

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Unfortunately, the Senegalese government
didn\'t follow up on its claims

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that \"we will stop the agreement
as there is too much pressure on our resources\".

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The practice of \"Senegalization\"
is based on a legal loophole

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that allows foreign boats
to fly a Senegalese flag.

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On paper,

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the companies
owning the ships are 51% Senegalese,

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but they are only front companies
for foreign owners.

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Thanks to this sleight of hand,

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foreign vessels can operate in Senegal\'s waters
as if they were at home.

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These boats are based in Dakar.

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They come to Dakar and then, 24 hours later,

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the fish are sent to China or Europe.

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Some people say that it\'s mostly foreign boats

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that fly the Senegalese flag
and obtain licenses.

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But Senegal isn\'t building boats yet.

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Your car is probably a foreign brand.
That doesn\'t make you a foreigner.

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All the players admit

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that Minister Alioune Ndoye
can be trusted with these questions.

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All the players.
I\'m very comfortable on this topic.

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Past the time of promises,

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now comes the time of disillusions.

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We are familiar
with these so-called Senegalized boats.

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We can\'t say that Fu Yuan Yu
is a Senegalese ship.

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And when you check its owner,
you see it\'s from China.

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The boat left, followed that route,

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and from that place
we can\'t see the signal anymore.

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No signal means something\'s wrong.

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It means that it fished in this area.

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The Minister of Fisheries must know that.
And the state doesn\'t take any action.

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Here, local fishing is extremely dynamic.

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Just look at all the pirogues
and think of its contribution to food safety.

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I believe Senegal has done everything it could.

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But it\'s never enough.

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We shall continue to do everything in our power
to protect our resources.

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There must be a few ships that we don\'t see,

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but most of the time,

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the boats that aren\'t authorized to fish

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in our national waters
are automatically detected.

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First question: why are foreign ships
so interested in the African coasts?

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Because they know that in this part of Africa,

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the surveillance capacity
of the countries is very weak,

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so they can fish illegally
without taking the risk of getting arrested.

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Most countries do not have legislation
for these types of offenses,

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which are committed at sea
or in adjacent territorial waters.

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It\'s an economic disaster.

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Senegal is losing 300 million dollars
every year because of this.

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It\'s also an environmental disaster,

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as species are not protected and can\'t rebuild.

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They are taken away to other parts of the world.

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While the Senegal-registered boats
use loopholes in the law,

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others have simply chosen
to ignore the law completely.

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Many foreign ships
have never bothered to acquire authorizations.

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They shamelessly plunder the waters of Senegal

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and elsewhere in Africa illegally.

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It is the third mechanism of the plunder.

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The Russian ship Oleg Naidanov

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is a good illustration
of the illegal fishing practices

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revealed here by Greenpeace activists.

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In addition
to operating without any authorization,

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it hides its name under tarpaulins.

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A practice prohibited by maritime legislation.

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After his election in 2012,

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Macky Sall and his government
decided to crack down on these sea looters.

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The Oleg Naidanov is now in the hands
of the Senegalese government,

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and under the surveillance
of the National Navy and police.

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A commando unit forced them to come back here.

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Every year,
Senegal loses 150 billion CFA francs

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because of these boats that fish illegally.

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From time to time,
the Senegalese state wins a few battles,

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but the pirate ships are so numerous
that they seem impossible to repel.

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The authorities’ efforts are insufficient
against the size and force of the looters.

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And, as for decades,

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Senegalese fishermen feel completely alone
in the face of this disaster.

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The collapse of fish stocks continues.

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For Senegalese fishermen,
the situation is already critical.

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However, another threat awaits them,

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an even more relentless peril:

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the Chinese fishing fleet.

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Today, the largest share of fishing vessels
off the coast of west Africa is the Chinese fleet.

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In 2012, there was a famous speech
by then-president Hu Jintao,

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who called for building China
into a great maritime power.

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Right after that speech in 2013,

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the state council
elevated the Chinese fishing industry

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to a strategic industry.

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Chinese vessels have been deployed

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to the most productive fishing grounds
on the planet.

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West Africa is one of them.

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Food security
was the initial motivation at that time.

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China was worried
about having enough food to feed its population.

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And then as time went on,
motivations became about economic interest.

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Just wanting their companies
to make more money.

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The journey of the Chinese people
is clearly a message of hope,

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showing that underdevelopment
can be overcome.

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The development of China
will create more opportunities for Africa,

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and the development of Africa
will bring new life into China\'s development.

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The Chinese fleet
has been supported by its government

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in order to achieve these aims.

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And those subsidies
have been increased overtime.

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It really proves China\'s will
to strengthen this industry.

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Like Europe before it,

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it invokes its food sovereignty
to subsidize its fishing boats

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which set out to conquer the world.

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Like Europe, it sends its trawlers
which are among the most destructive of boats.

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But unlike Europe,

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there is no fishing treaty
between Senegal and China.

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I think it’s very interesting
that a lot of the Chinese fishing fleets

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that operate in other countries\'
exclusive economic zones are trawlers,

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but in China’s own domestic waters,

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China is phasing out
trawling as a fishing method

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because they know
it’s so destructive to the marine environment.

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At the bottom of the ocean,

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fish are trapped
in nets several kilometers long.

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A significant portion of these catches
will never be sold.

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Too small, not profitable enough,

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this huge waste that happens offshore,
out of sight, is never disclosed.

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The Senegalese State struggles to ban
illegal fishing and overfishing in its waters.

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Sometimes it appears powerless,

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sometimes complacent in the face
of the plundering of its people’s marine wealth.

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There is only one last rampart
to stand up against the looters.

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The Senegalese fishermen themselves.

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As the conflict with foreign ships heats up,

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pushed to the limit, they are ready for anything.

26:11.288 --> 26:15.088
I\'ve never been afraid to defend
the fishermen\'s interests,

26:15.244 --> 26:18.666
nor to defend those
of the population of Joal-Fadiouth.

26:18.733 --> 26:22.177
I never thought of what could happen to me
by doing this.

26:22.200 --> 26:24.133
One day, I told the fishermen:

26:24.177 --> 26:27.000
\"The government isn\'t going to solve the problem.\"

26:27.155 --> 26:29.577
\"We have to take things in our own hands
because we\'re the ones under attack.\"

26:29.666 --> 26:31.200
We decided to surround a boat.

26:31.400 --> 26:34.311
I went up the deck with my friends,
and we forced the captain to come with us.

26:35.466 --> 26:37.022
He was Chinese.

26:37.177 --> 26:38.800
There were five of them, and we beat them up.

26:39.000 --> 26:41.844
We brought the captain back to my place.
We abducted him.

26:42.022 --> 26:44.288
When someone slaps you on the right cheek,
don\'t expose your left one.

26:44.800 --> 26:45.955
Fight back, just as hard.

27:05.860 --> 27:07.140
These boats are huge!

27:08.420 --> 27:10.740
We don\'t have Senegalese boats this size.

27:12.980 --> 27:15.300
Listen, can you hear what the fisherman is saying?

27:15.660 --> 27:21.700
He should tell this illegal boat to leave
but only asks it to go elsewhere!

27:23.140 --> 27:26.140
\"You destroy everything, you\'re not even human\".

27:26.780 --> 27:28.820
He\'s right. They ruin everything.

27:40.577 --> 27:42.488
This is unfair competition.

27:42.622 --> 27:47.822
Look at their huge boats
and at our small pirogues.

27:47.888 --> 27:51.155
And yet, when they see the pirogues,
they don\'t change their course.

27:51.200 --> 27:54.977
If you\'re not careful, they can crush you.

28:01.066 --> 28:04.222
A fisherman who doesn\'t get away may die.

28:04.577 --> 28:07.355
The fishermen fight
with all the means available to them.

28:07.910 --> 28:09.222
They post damning video evidence

28:09.355 --> 28:14.860
against illegal foreign trawlers
on social networks.

28:15.844 --> 28:19.680
At sea, there seems to be no more rules or laws.

28:20.133 --> 28:22.377
Their lives are regularly threatened.

28:24.177 --> 28:27.222
Aboard foreign ships
on which they sometimes work,

28:27.466 --> 28:31.422
local sailors themselves are revolted
by the practices imposed on them.

28:33.300 --> 28:36.100
I\'m surprised to see
so many Black people on the boats.

28:36.420 --> 28:37.540
Indeed.

28:37.940 --> 28:43.620
They might not agree with what\'s going on,
but can\'t do anything about it.

28:43.620 --> 28:46.860
Even those who work on these boats
don\'t like this situation.

28:46.860 --> 28:51.700
But it\'s a job,
and everyone needs money to feed their families.

28:52.400 --> 28:56.460
These sons of b*** of Chinese
are the reason why we complain so much

28:56.460 --> 29:02.580
on Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp.

29:02.820 --> 29:08.740
See for yourself:
they keep plundering our fish resources.

29:08.740 --> 29:11.940
It\'s looting and waste.

29:16.060 --> 29:21.111
We chased the boat for 12 km
as it was taking our net away.

29:21.540 --> 29:24.300
The Chinese captain had an iron rod in his hands.

29:24.620 --> 29:26.420
All the Chinese armed themselves.

29:26.710 --> 29:29.511
They shouted at and threatened us.

29:29.620 --> 29:34.000
They were ready to hurt us
if we came close to their boat.

29:34.155 --> 29:38.580
In the end, they took a hose
and sprayed all my friends with cold water.

29:39.380 --> 29:46.820
They did that for a while,
and then they threw acid.

29:47.155 --> 29:49.980
They suddenly took a recipient with acid and gas,

29:49.980 --> 29:52.311
set it alight and threw it right at me.

29:53.111 --> 29:55.044
I dived into the sea right away.

29:58.066 --> 30:00.000
I got burns on my legs and my face.

30:00.380 --> 30:03.140
This entire area of my stomach was burned.

30:04.060 --> 30:07.820
got burns everywhere,
and I still have scars to this day.

30:08.540 --> 30:11.244
That\'s why we don\'t appreciate the Chinese.

30:35.220 --> 30:37.420
\"We told you to go to school...

30:37.780 --> 30:40.020
We told you to go to school...

30:40.300 --> 30:42.580
And you said no...

30:42.940 --> 30:45.260
We told you to go to school...

30:45.620 --> 30:47.860
We told you to go to school...

30:48.100 --> 30:50.340
And you said no...

30:50.900 --> 30:53.140
You\'ll understand what work is...

30:53.300 --> 30:55.540
You\'ll understand what work is...

30:55.700 --> 30:57.940
You\'ll understand what work is...

31:34.300 --> 31:35.660
My name is Coumba Mangane.

31:38.860 --> 31:40.900
I\'ve been working in the port for 10 years.

31:41.780 --> 31:45.500
That\'s the only thing I know how to do:
work very hard.

31:46.820 --> 31:49.980
Get me my phone,
I want to show the picture of Ablaye.

31:53.140 --> 31:56.733
His name is Ablaye Diané. He\'s a good son.

31:57.980 --> 31:59.688
A son who loves his mother.

32:00.180 --> 32:02.622
He always told his friends:

32:03.200 --> 32:08.511
\"When can I go help my mother?\"

32:09.020 --> 32:11.600
One day, he woke up,

32:11.820 --> 32:17.177
went to school
and understood the situation I was in.

32:17.380 --> 32:19.140
He decided to stop studying.

32:19.900 --> 32:23.755
He called me and simply said:
\"Mom, I\'m in Morocco.\"

32:24.620 --> 32:28.340
I asked him to come back, I wanted to see him.

32:29.510 --> 32:31.511
He replied: \"No, Mom, I won\'t come home empty-handed\".

32:32.460 --> 32:37.780
\"You\'ve done everything for us,
but you\'ve been tired for a long time.\"

32:38.780 --> 32:41.820
Since the accident, my faith has increased.

32:42.280 --> 32:46.333
God gives and takes back. I trust God completely.

32:56.977 --> 33:01.600
The final mechanism in the ruthless plunder
is put in motion.

33:03.660 --> 33:07.133
It is the final blow
for the millions of women and men

33:07.311 --> 33:08.800
who live on fish.

33:10.600 --> 33:13.800
These are fishmeal factories.

33:25.155 --> 33:28.600
The high demand for fishmeal is relatively new.

33:28.777 --> 33:31.977
Senegal and Mauritania have been familiar
with it for some 15 years,

33:32.111 --> 33:35.800
but today, it\'s the main factor
leading to the collapse of the fishery.

33:54.600 --> 33:57.688
It’s not only the industrial foreign vessels
that do that,

33:58.111 --> 34:01.377
also some pirogues are fishing for fishmeal.

34:20.333 --> 34:23.244
It’s a kind of a story of enslavement in a way.

34:23.333 --> 34:27.088
Because at first, the fishmeal company
will give a good price to the fishermen,

34:27.200 --> 34:29.800
and it will even pre-finance
the next fishing trip,

34:29.888 --> 34:33.222
which for a fisherman
with little money is really important.

34:33.644 --> 34:37.644
But there is one condition:
the fish is destined for the factory.

34:39.555 --> 34:42.777
So after 9 months, the fisherman
will be paid less than he was at the beginning,

34:43.280 --> 34:49.533
but he is still obliged
to give his fish to the fishmeal factory.

34:50.622 --> 34:55.444
These plants have proliferated in recent years
along the coasts of West Africa.

34:56.111 --> 34:59.844
They grind huge quantities of fish
to turn them into fish meal.

35:00.911 --> 35:04.822
This powdered fish
is exported to Europe and Asia.

35:11.600 --> 35:14.600
The first victims
are no longer artisanal fishers.

35:14.777 --> 35:16.933
They are the women who process fish.

35:18.511 --> 35:23.200
The fishermen prefer to sell the fish
to the fishmeal factories than to the women.

35:23.511 --> 35:28.311
Thus they are the ones who are deprived
of raw material to process.

35:30.511 --> 35:33.222
Usually covered with fish in high season,

35:34.066 --> 35:36.444
these drying tables are now practically empty.

35:38.977 --> 35:44.888
Thousands of women
who smoked or dried fish here lost their jobs.

35:46.000 --> 35:47.377
Always combative,

35:48.022 --> 35:52.266
the unions are again mobilizing
to draw the attention of the public authorities

35:52.711 --> 35:56.400
to the tragic situation
of women fish processors.

35:56.555 --> 35:59.444
I hope it will go well.
Will the ministries be there?

35:59.577 --> 36:02.266
Will the government be there?

36:02.333 --> 36:08.866
The fishery authorities of Kayar will be there
and we\'ll lead a great demonstration.

36:40.260 --> 36:45.711
Women are the pillar of the family in Senegal.
They are the pillar of the entire population.

36:45.800 --> 36:50.000
Our income is used for the household,

36:50.111 --> 36:54.044
for our children,
for our husbands and even for ourselves.

36:57.044 --> 36:59.777
If we don\'t make ourselves heard,

36:59.822 --> 37:06.644
if we don\'t demand that the authorities stop
the construction of fishmeal factories,

37:06.866 --> 37:10.977
in the end, women fish processors
won\'t exist anymore.

37:11.711 --> 37:13.977
It\'s already happening.

37:16.340 --> 37:18.533
Inspector Ismaïla,

37:18.822 --> 37:22.711
you represent the Minister of Fisheries
and Marine Economy.

37:23.000 --> 37:26.955
We ask you to tell him that the files
have been in the drawers for too long,

37:27.130 --> 37:31.200
the procedures are taking ages,

37:31.300 --> 37:34.488
so it\'s time he sees our true worth.

37:36.066 --> 37:41.866
There isn\'t a single woman
in the decision-making body,

37:43.540 --> 37:45.980
while we are the ones
who buy the fish on the beach,

37:46.020 --> 37:53.020
sell it in the markets, and process it.

37:53.100 --> 37:56.660
This hard work feeds our families!

37:58.800 --> 38:00.466
After the fishermen,

38:00.577 --> 38:04.711
the women fish processors
are the next victims of the collapse of fishing.

38:05.044 --> 38:09.488
The well-being of families and social balance
of an entire nation are being threatened.

38:10.266 --> 38:12.355
The fishmeal factories are devastating.

38:12.444 --> 38:15.377
Because of them, the women who process the fish
can\'t do their job anymore,

38:15.688 --> 38:20.222
thus depriving the land population
of the smoked fish they need.

38:20.688 --> 38:24.777
The fish that was supposed to be
processed, smoked and dried

38:25.111 --> 38:27.822
to be sent to the interior
of Senegal and to the subregion

38:28.044 --> 38:33.400
end up as fishmeal
to be exported to Europe or Asia.

38:36.244 --> 38:39.244
The great tragedy
of the loss of the Senegalese fish

38:39.977 --> 38:46.066
is that fish meal doesn’t even feed directly
the people of Europe and Asia.

38:46.688 --> 38:48.600
It only feeds farm animals.

38:49.844 --> 38:55.222
It is the equivalent of the annual food needs
of 30 million people in West Africa

38:55.800 --> 38:59.600
that disappears to feed farmed salmon, chicken,
and pork in the richest countries.

39:08.644 --> 39:11.688
If all the fish coming out of the sea
for processing into fishmeal,

39:11.933 --> 39:16.888
for China, or for Norway
to feed the salmon that we eat on Sunday,

39:17.022 --> 39:22.711
the consequences will be terrible
for the sector and the local population as well.

39:27.266 --> 39:29.644
Fishmeal is not sustainable.

39:30.200 --> 39:34.422
Sustainable fishing cannot happen
while fishmeal factories still exist.

39:35.022 --> 39:37.955
Senegal subsidies fisheries.

39:38.488 --> 39:44.933
For instance, the price of gas is lowered
so fishermen can continue selling fish.

39:45.311 --> 39:50.022
But fishermen
sell the Senegalese fish to fishmeal factories

39:50.600 --> 39:55.400
that export it to Europe
in order to feed European salmon,

39:55.444 --> 39:57.155
which then feeds the Europeans.

39:57.888 --> 40:02.000
So the Senegalese subventions
actually help feed the Europeans,

40:02.533 --> 40:05.822
while Senegal depends on the European
official development assistance to live.

41:29.111 --> 41:33.977
In some villages on the coast,
there is a large age gap.

41:35.400 --> 41:40.022
Like in countries at war,
men between 15 and 35 years old are rare.

41:41.955 --> 41:43.333
And yet, Senegal is at peace.

41:44.266 --> 41:48.800
Those who are missing have left to try their luck
at finding a better life abroad.

41:59.066 --> 42:02.711
No one told me the news
until I arrived at my mother\'s home.

42:04.622 --> 42:07.711
I then received a call telling me
that my son was dead.

42:08.600 --> 42:09.780
That was it.

42:09.888 --> 42:11.780
And then I saw it on social networks.

42:14.022 --> 42:19.733
Learning like that my son died
was heartbreaking.

42:22.888 --> 42:25.377
It was truly heartbreaking.

42:33.844 --> 42:38.155
With the fish disappearing,
so does the Senegalese people.

42:38.533 --> 42:41.155
And it deeply affects Africa\'s development,

42:41.266 --> 42:44.044
not only the development of Senegal,
but the entire continent\'s.

42:44.177 --> 42:48.111
There was slavery. Then colonization.

42:48.644 --> 42:50.800
Then they spoke about independence.

42:50.977 --> 42:52.800
But we\'re not independent!

42:56.844 --> 42:59.244
Today, the Mediterranean is a cemetery.

42:59.866 --> 43:02.622
It used to be the sea of great civilizations,

43:02.755 --> 43:05.777
and it became a cemetery for the young people

43:05.844 --> 43:07.933
who believe their future lies elsewhere,

43:08.244 --> 43:11.466
that they can reach it through immigration.

43:11.777 --> 43:14.133
This is where lies the paradox:

43:14.355 --> 43:19.288
the African youth
is this continent\'s most important asset,

43:19.555 --> 43:24.844
and yet they don\'t believe in themselves
or in their future here.

43:25.355 --> 43:32.266
This means that the population\'s
capacity to take action is compromised.

43:32.822 --> 43:38.288
Being physically hurt is not good.

43:38.666 --> 43:43.888
But being unable to react
to what is happening to you is worse.

43:45.444 --> 43:49.177
There are now
many migration routes leading to Europe.

43:49.288 --> 43:52.466
They are young, desperate,
and they take significant risks

43:52.622 --> 43:54.466
in the hope of reaching a very fragile El Dorado.

44:39.770 --> 44:41.688
Wherever you are from,

44:42.777 --> 44:45.020
do not come to Europe.

44:45.933 --> 44:47.911
Do not believe the smugglers.

44:48.822 --> 44:52.533
Do not risk your life and your money.

44:52.622 --> 44:54.222
It is all for nothing.

45:25.911 --> 45:29.044
A stroller contemplating the sea

45:29.355 --> 45:34.577
might imagine that its greatness, its power,

45:34.570 --> 45:39.222
makes it indestructible.

45:39.600 --> 45:41.822
Unfortunately, it\'s not the case.

45:43.288 --> 45:48.533
The sea is a major ecosystem
in which live essential species,

45:48.755 --> 45:53.866
such as phytoplankton
that produces the oxygen we breathe,

45:54.933 --> 45:57.800
but also a considerable biodiversity

45:58.133 --> 46:00.733
that we are slowly consuming.

46:02.750 --> 46:07.533
It is truly appalling that we built a society

46:08.022 --> 46:12.000
based on growth that takes the planet hostage.

46:12.533 --> 46:18.022
And of course, this growth benefits only a few,

46:18.511 --> 46:25.733
a few that get richer and richer
at the expense of the rest of humankind.

46:43.733 --> 46:46.866
The fishing people have been struck
with unprecedented violence

46:47.555 --> 46:50.733
by the various mechanisms
of this plundering of the Atlantic.

46:52.044 --> 46:58.177
And yet, many of these men and women
are not giving up.

46:59.044 --> 47:02.133
They keep fighting
to regain control of their destiny,

47:03.511 --> 47:07.844
hoping that the fish, this divine blessing,

47:09.177 --> 47:12.622
will once again thrive in the waters of Senegal.

47:57.155 --> 48:01.533
My name is Ibrahima Dop. I\'m Senegalese.

48:02.044 --> 48:05.244
I came here in 2018 to work as a fisherman.

48:09.822 --> 48:13.377
Hello? How are you?

48:14.955 --> 48:18.000
Yes, I\'m going out to sea today.

48:22.733 --> 48:28.088
I came to Spain illegally, on a pirogue.

48:29.688 --> 48:34.377
There were 61 of us. Most of us were fishermen.

48:40.577 --> 48:41.955
How\'s the family?

48:43.844 --> 48:45.266
Yes, it\'s ok.

48:46.955 --> 48:49.400
Talk to you tomorrow, Inch\'Allah.

48:53.620 --> 48:54.800
I used to be my own boss,

48:56.955 --> 49:01.377
I had my pirogue and I made a good living.

49:02.577 --> 49:04.688
Now I\'m an employee.

49:20.155 --> 49:22.688
What I did, I did for my children.

49:23.844 --> 49:26.488
Because my life wasn\'t easy.

49:28.555 --> 49:30.888
Of course, I\'d like to go home.

49:32.044 --> 49:35.288
If I had enough money, I would.

49:36.866 --> 49:38.333
Without a doubt.

49:39.600 --> 49:42.111
But I don\'t have a choice.

49:50.177 --> 49:53.288
\"Whether it works out or not,
I\'ll go home in the end,

49:53.777 --> 49:56.800
home where I was born.

49:57.311 --> 50:00.555
We set out in our pirogues,

50:00.622 --> 50:02.755
the children ask where we\'ve gone,

50:02.911 --> 50:05.977
the women mourn us,

50:06.088 --> 50:08.460
and we cross the sea towards Spain...