African experts warn African fishing communities threatened by the growth of the blue economy



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"Noise and vibrations drive fish away, which means [fishermen] go farther to fish, "said Saine.

Pollution from a vibrant tourism sector and foreign trawlers has resulted in a reduction in stocks along the Indian Ocean, said Salim Mohamed, a fisherman from Malindi, Kenya. "We suffer as artisanal fishermen but all local regulations consider us a polluter and do not go beyond that."

Fish stocks in Africa were depleted by industrial trawlers combing the oceans to feed European and Asian markets, experts said. This threatened the livelihoods and food security of coastal communities.

The growth of blue economies in Africa could also remove common rights to land and water along the shoreline and transfer them to businesses and a few people, said Andre Standing, adviser to the Coalition for Agreements. equitable fishing.

Most of the land and beaches bordering thousands of kilometers of Africa's coastline are untitled, making it a target for illegal acquisitions, activists said.

"We are very concerned about the privatization of areas previously open to these communities," said Standing.

"We must have a radical vision that values ​​communities and livelihoods, otherwise they will disappear."

Reuters

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