Migration and the right to survival: An empirical study of three fishing communities in Senegal

Abstract

Each year, thousands of Senegalese migrants brave the perils of the oceans in tiny canoes bound for Europe and the Canary Islands. In many cases, these migrants are local fishers who, owing to the depletion of the oceans, leave the country in search of greener pastures abroad. Many die en route from cold, starvation, and drowning. This empirical study seeks to make an original contribution to the literature by interrogating the lived experiences of local fishers in Senegal vis-à-vis dwindling fish stock largely occasioned by the activities of industrial fishing fleets. Semi-structured interviews were held with local fishers in the Senegalese coastal villages of Bargny, Saint-Louis, and Thiaroye with a view to developing grassroots perspectives on issues surrounding quality of life, survival, access to food, and migration within the context of declining small-scale fishing in Senegal. These perspectives are tested against thematic socioeconomic human rights such as the right to food, the right to work, and the right to free disposal of natural resources.