Summary:

In the past 10 years, demand in China and Europe for fishmeal as feed for domestic fish farms has grown rapidly. This demand has felt particularly strong in the Gambia, where several fishmeal factories have been constructed in large part to supply. These factories, located on the coast of Gambia, have become fixtures in the local economy.

On the surface, the increased demand for locally caught fish might seem to be an economic opportunity for the local fishermen, but many locals have come to decry the effects of these factories. With the huge increase in demand they have produced, smaller local fishermen are outcompeted by larger trawlers, often foreign boats. Many fishermen and fish processors have lost income and jobs.

This change in fishing conditions is made worse by both the factories’ release of untreated waste into the ocean and the excess fish catch being dumped onto beaches, damaging coastal ecosystems and leading to reports of unbearable smells and increased health issues.

Location: Kombo South district, The Gambia

Companies and Finance: Golden Lead Import and Export Trade Company Limited (plant in Gunjur, ownership wholly Chinese), JXYG Aquatic Products Limited (plant in Kartong, ownership 92% Chinese), Nessim Fishing and Fish Processing Company (plant in Sanyang, ownership possibly Mauritanian).

The financing of these companies and plants is unknown.

Concerns:

1. Loss of local livelihoods: Many fishermen have reported much greater difficulty in achieving their former catch rates. While some fishermen sell to factories, it is larger trawlers, often foreign-owned, that make most of the catch. Those who fish on a smaller scale for local markets and self-consumption must go further out to sea and sometimes spend three times as much on fuel to meet their needs. Local fish processors, who are mostly women, report much more difficulty in obtaining fish, as many fishermen now prefer to sell to the factories. Overall, this has led to job losses and instability. Most troubling of all, former fishermen have reportedly turned to human trafficking by boat as an alternative source of income. Some catches that are rejected by the factories are left to rot on the beach, creating a noxious stench. This has, in turn, devastated the local tourism industry, which accounts for 20% of Gambia’s GDP and had been the focus of investment before the factories arrived.
2. Damage to the environment: Waste from the factories has been pumped into the ocean. An official government audit showed 27,500 tons of daily wastewater for just one factory. In one case in 2017, a local lagoon’s entire wildlife was devastated by an overnight die-off that turned the water red: water from the area showed double the arsenic and 40 times the phosphates and nitrates deemed safe. Even after purported remedial measures, such as laying pipes for waste, instances of dead marine animals washing up continue to increase.
3. Damage to health and safety risks: Many report spikes in health problems, especially skin rashes and eye irritation. Workers also reported working without proper safety equipment. Studies have shown that air pollution from fishmeal factories can lead to or aggravate many respiratory conditions, such as asthma and allergies. Additionally, in 2020, a survey of almost 500 residents of Gunjur near the Golden Lead factory showed 26% of the population were diabetic, hypertensive or both. Such issues are suspected to be linked to the increased unaffordability of fish.
4. Lack of adequate legal recourse and resulting conflict: In 2017, all three factories were temporarily shut down after being sued by the Gambian environmental agency, but they soon resumed operations. Golden Lead's settlement was contested by a youth organisation called the Gunjur Development Forum, yet no progress has been made since then. Despite these legal actions, locals report worsening conditions. In 2019, fishermen in Sanyang discovered a waste pipe from the Nessim factory that was allegedly dumping toxic waste into the sea. In 2021, frustrated villagers set fire to the factory during protests. Golden Lead was fined $25,000 in 2017 and again in 2024 for improper waste disposal, highlighting the lack of meaningful enforcement and continued environmental harm despite claims of compliance.