Gandiol: The cry from the heart of the fishermen strangled by the two breaches

In Gandiol, in the Saint-Louis region, fishermen are once again sounding the alarm. For over twenty years, these communities have been living with the consequences of two breaches which, according to local stakeholders, have profoundly disrupted their livelihoods and degraded their living conditions. Faced with the ongoing situation, the fishermen are demanding greater involvement from the authorities and partners.

The cry for help from the fishermen of Gandiol is becoming increasingly urgent. Gathered to denounce the deterioration of their working conditions, those involved in the fishing industry believe that their situation has been steadily worsening for several years, without any lasting solution being found.

According to them, the problem is primarily linked to the presence of two breaches that directly affect fishing activities in the area. These are the breach near Saint-Louis and the natural breach located north of Gandiol. For the fishermen, this reality is often overlooked in discussions about the consequences of the breaches.

"This is yet another cry for help, but above all, yet another cry from the heart," laments Mamadou Diop, spokesperson for the fishermen of Gandiol. He recalls that his colleagues had already alerted the authorities to this situation, which has persisted for over two decades.

Severely deteriorated working conditions

For fishermen, the degradation of their working environment has direct consequences on their income and, consequently, on their living conditions.

“When we talk about deteriorating working conditions, we think of the fishermen of Gandiol. These people don’t know where to turn anymore. We get up in the morning, we go fishing and we come back empty-handed,” testifies Mamadou Diop.

This situation is putting many families who depend on fishing in a precarious position. The decline in catches and the difficulties encountered at sea are making life difficult for fishermen, who say they no longer have any solutions to cope with this crisis.

"The first populations impacted are those of Gandiol"

The spokesperson for the fishermen also regrets that the people of Gandiol are not sufficiently involved in the discussions surrounding the breaches. "When the problems of the breach are mentioned, people often think of Saint-Louis. However, both breaches are located within the municipality of Gandiol. The first populations impacted are naturally those of Gandiol," he emphasizes.

He believes that the authorities and various partners involved in the municipality should consult more with local populations, particularly those directly affected by the consequences of the breaches.

For Mamadou Diop, finding solutions cannot be done without the fishermen. "We are calling on the public authorities and all partners who invest in the municipality to involve and include the people of Gandiol, especially those involved in fishing," he argues.

An appeal to the president and the Minister of Fisheries

The fishermen of Gandiol now want their situation to be addressed at the highest level of government. Their appeal is directed to the President of the Republic and the Minister of Fisheries, from whom they are requesting concrete measures to find a lasting solution to this situation.

The spokesperson also lamented the fact that, during certain official visits to Gandiol, the concerns of the fishermen were not sufficiently taken into account. He specifically cited the recent visit of the supervising minister, which, according to him, did not allow for a genuine exchange with the main stakeholders.

After more than twenty years of warnings, the fishermen of Gandiol want to move beyond simply acknowledging the problem. They are calling for an inclusive approach involving local communities, fishing professionals, authorities, and partners in order to find lasting solutions to the consequences of the two breaches.

For these families who depend essentially on the sea for their livelihood, the urgent priority is to preserve their livelihoods and their means of subsistence.

Babacar SENE (correspondent) Saint-Louis