Intel Brief: The Gambia’s overfishing issues, conflict and tensions between fishermen and foreign trawlers

casper4871
6 minutes ago
4 min read

Date: 01/09/2025

Where: The Gambia and coastal waters

Who’s involved: Gambian Government, local fishermen and fishing communities, Chinese, Egyptian, Greece, Italy, Portugal Spain and other EU or foreign-owned fishing companies.

What is happening?

The Gambia’s fishing sector and artisanal fishermen are under severe strain from foreign trawlers engaged in illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) practices, driving overfishing, pollution, violent confrontations, and the loss of livelihoods for many locals.
According to 2018 official reports, there were 52 registered fishing vessels operating in Gambian seas, 90% are foreign owned. Subsequent data remains limited but is presumed to have increased, particularly with the 2019 European Union-Gambia sustainable fisheries partnership agreement.
Foreign-owned fishing trawlers sometimes operate close to the country’s coastal waters without permission, overfishing and leaving very little catch for local fishermen who rely on fishing for their livelihood.
The majority of the country’s 2.5 million people live along a 20 km stretch of coastline and consume more than three times as many fish, 29 kg per year, compared with 9 kg for those living inland, who may eventually face a food crisis.
Industrial fishmeal factories process hundreds of tonnes of fish daily for export, competing directly with artisanal fishermen and accelerating depletion of fish stocks, while contributing to coastal pollution, taking a toll on the health of locals.
Local fishermen have reported their nets damaged and destroyed by foreign-owned trawlers giving way to grievances that have resulted in attacks on larger vessels, and vice-versa.
Foreign trawlers reportedly operate as close as 5 nautical miles from the coast, in breach of the 9-mile artisanal zone reserved for locals.
As fishing collapses, some fishermen abandon the trade, turning to human smuggling or selling boats to traffickers. Migrants pay between €600–€1,000 per person, with boats carrying over 200 passengers and generating up to €200,000 per voyage.

Analysis

After the ousting of former authoritarian leader Yahya Jamme in 2017, the succeeding government opened their coasts to foreign fishing vessels in 2018. While initially welcomed as a means of foreign investment, risks to maritime vessels in Gambian waters are escalating as overfishing, encroachment and weak enforcement fuel hostility towards foreign trawlers. Attacks such as the arson on the Egyptian-owned trawler Abu Islam, which left at least one Gambian sailor aboard severely burned, highlight how confrontations have already crossed into violence. With at least 11 local fishermen killed in the past 15 years and foreign vessels repeatedly violating the 9-nautical-mile boundary into areas exclusively for local fishermen, both local and foreign operators face growing exposure to sabotage, arson or hijackings. Enforcement actions such as the detention of around eight vessels in 2023, remain rare and ineffective, as most offenders have been known to quickly return to sea, resuming their previous activities. If grievances continue unchecked and weapons enter circulation, Gambia risks sliding into Somalia-style dynamics, where unchecked foreign fishing directly contributed to piracy and systemic maritime insecurity.
At the societal level, the serious challenges to the artisanal fishing economy is transforming the country’s economic and social structure, with dangerous consequences. Fishing equipment from artisanal fishermen is destroyed, often unable to be replaced, while fishmeal factories divert hundreds of tonnes of fish daily to foreign companies for export, pushing prices beyond local reach. Disenfranchised fishermen unable to sustain their families, are increasingly selling boats to traffickers or trafficking people themselves for between €600 to €1000, enabling smuggling voyages that can earn up to €200,000 per trip. This fusion of economic despair, corruption in licensing (reportedly as low as $275 per tonne) and perceptions of state complicity creates fertile ground for unrest, organised crime and militia formation. An extreme case was seen in Somalia starting the 2000s, with serious grievances from local fishing communities against foreign-operated trawlers and overfishing, resulting in widespread piracy and violence against not only foreign, but local fishing vessels. While The Gambia has more stable political institutions, grievances less widespread and far less weapons in the hands of locals, an overall transformation of the lives of fishing communities compromising their livelihoods has the potential to result in serious social unrest.

Looking ahead

Looking ahead, the persistence of weak enforcement, and IUU fishing activities by foreign trawlers could entrench a cycle of violence at sea and deepen instability ashore. If left unresolved, tensions may escalate into organised piracy, militia activity and greater reliance on illicit smuggling networks. The social costs are equally severe, with declining food security, the erosion of traditional livelihoods and migration pressures that risk hollowing out coastal communities. Without targeted action, the Gambia’s fisheries sector may not only eventually collapse ecologically, but also generate a wider security crisis in the region, although the risk at the time of writing appears low, in part due to the political stability of state institutions in the country.

Mitigating these risks will require a multi-layered approach. Strengthening maritime enforcement through better-resourced patrols, regional cooperation and transparent licensing will be essential to curb IUU fishing and rebuild trust in fishing communities. Parallel to that, investment in alternative livelihoods, fair compensation schemes and sustainable management of fisheries can contribute to reducing social grievances and restore economic stability. Also, international actors, including governments and NGOs, have a role in supporting surveillance, enforcing sanctions on repeat offenders and ensuring global seafood supply chains do not fuel local instability. By combining maritime security with social investment programmes, The Gambia may be able to prevent a dangerous drift towards serious structural and social unrest. In January 2025, for example, the government distributed over 20 artisanal fishing boats to local fishermen, an initiative aimed at supporting livelihoods and easing grievances. Without such measures, the country risks following a trajectory similar to Somalia, where overfishing and grievances against foreign fishing vessels in the early 2000s severely undermined local livelihoods, creating instability that persists to this day.

Dyami Services

Security is not a luxury but a necessity. With Dyami Security Intelligence as a Service, you gain a proactive, flexible, and affordable solution to manage risks, monitor geopolitical threats, and respond immediately to crises.

Why subscribe to security?

✅ Resilient business operations in today’s world✅ We act as your security department and Geopolitical Risk Officer✅ Direct access to security expertise without high costs✅ Prevent crises with up-to-date threat intelligence✅ Scalable subscription plans✅ Access to our unique global network

Want to know how this protects your organization? Request a free consultation!

Subscription options

Dyami Security as a Service: a flexible security subscription that keeps your organization protected at all times—without the need for costly internal capacity.