How industrial fishing sinks communities | Lamin Jassey

Summary

Podcast Summary: "How Industrial Fishing Sinks Communities" by Lamin Jassey

Podcast Information:

• Title: TED Talks Daily
• Host/Author: TED
• Episode: How industrial fishing sinks communities | Lamin Jassey
• Release Date: March 27, 2025

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Introduction to the Crisis in Gunjur

In the TED Talk titled "How Industrial Fishing Sinks Communities," environmental activist Lamin Jassey sheds light on the devastating impact of industrial fishing on the coastal village of Gunjur in Gambia, West Africa. Gunjur, the largest fishing village in the country with an estimated population of 25,000, was initially hopeful about the introduction of a new fish meal factory, anticipating economic growth and improved livelihoods.

The Promise and Reality of the Fish Meal Factory

Timestamp: [02:27] Lamin Jassey begins by recounting the arrival of the fish meal factory at the Gunjur fish landing site in 2016. The community leaders, including Jassey, believed the factory would bring significant benefits:

“We thought it would bring improvements to our life. After just one year, we began to realize a dramatic change in our fish supply.” ([02:50])

However, this optimism was short-lived as the community soon observed a drastic reduction in local fish populations and increased water pollution.

Deteriorating Fish Supply and Environmental Degradation

Timestamp: [04:10] Jassey details his investigation into the declining fish stocks, uncovering that the factory's operations were unsustainable and detrimental to the marine ecosystem:

“We are experiencing an unusual shortage of fish... the fish meal factory is not to be trusted and most of their information are false.” ([03:10])

The factory predominantly utilizes fresh small pelagic fish, which are a staple protein source for the local population. The overexploitation of these fish has not only threatened the community’s primary food source but also undermined their economic stability.

Broken Promises and Unfulfilled Economic Benefits

Timestamp: [03:45] Promised economic benefits, such as 600 route jobs, the construction of key infrastructure like main roads and fish markets, have largely remained unfulfilled:

“All of these promises are not fulfilled up to this very day.” ([03:05])

This discrepancy between promises and reality has eroded trust in both the factory management and the local leadership.

Socioeconomic Impacts on Women and Youth

Timestamp: [05:30] The factory's operations have had profound socioeconomic repercussions:

• Women: Traditionally involved in fish processing, women now receive only leftover fees, leading to financial struggles and loss of livelihoods.

  “Women started struggling and even losing their livelihood and jobs in fish processing.” ([05:00])

• Youth: The factory's environmental degradation has decimated tourism, a key source of income for the youth, resulting in increased unemployment, crime, and substance abuse. Many young Gungurians have embarked on perilous journeys to Europe in search of better opportunities, with numerous cases of missing persons.

  “Hundreds, if not thousands of youth reach in the Atlantic Ocean trying to reach Europe.” ([06:30])

Environmental Degradation and Enforcement Failures

Timestamp: [07:15] Jassey exposes the factory’s environmental violations, notably the disposal of industrial waste directly into the ocean near the fish landing site. His attempts to hold the factory accountable led to his arrest and a prolonged legal battle:

“We went on as promised to remove the waste pipe with hundreds of people... we were all acquitted and discharged.” ([07:00])

Despite regulations prohibiting the catching of juvenile fish, enforcement has been lax, allowing factory practices to continue unchecked, further depleting fish stocks and compromising food security.

Government Agreements and Their Aftermath

Timestamp: [08:20] The Gambian government’s decision to sign a six-year fishing agreement with the European Union has exacerbated the crisis. This agreement permits larger fishing vessels from the EU and China to exploit Gambian waters, making local fish scarcer and more expensive. Consequently, the community has shifted towards less nutritious imported chicken, leading to health issues and undermining traditional dietary practices.

“With Gambia's fragile health care system, our source of animal protein intake being compromised... the situation becomes worse and unbearable.” ([08:00])

Community Resistance and Path Forward

Timestamp: [09:10] Despite the challenges, Jassey remains hopeful and committed to restoring the community and the marine ecosystem. His efforts include:

• Education and Capacity Building: Empowering women processors and artisanal fishermen with knowledge and data collection skills.
• Advocacy: Engaging with government officials to reassess and revise detrimental agreements.
• Regional Cooperation: Advocating for a united front among neighboring countries like Senegal and Mauritania to protect shared marine resources.

“We need to bring the Gambia, Senegal and Mauritania and others together to fight and protect our water and our fish. I can't do it alone. We can't do it alone.” ([09:40])

Conclusion and Call to Action

Lamin Jassey concludes with a poignant call to action, emphasizing the collective responsibility to safeguard marine resources for current and future generations. His narrative underscores the intricate link between environmental stewardship and community well-being, highlighting the urgent need for sustainable industrial practices and robust regulatory frameworks.

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Key Takeaways

• Industrial Impact: The establishment of fish meal factories can lead to overexploitation of marine resources, environmental pollution, and socioeconomic decline in fishing communities.
• Broken Promises: Economic promises by industrial entities often remain unfulfilled, leading to distrust and further community destabilization.
• Socioeconomic Fallout: Women and youth are disproportionately affected, with increased poverty, unemployment, and social issues.
• Regulatory Failures: Inadequate enforcement of environmental regulations allows unsustainable practices to persist.
• Collective Action: Effective solutions require community education, governmental accountability, and regional cooperation.

Notable Quotes

• On Trust and Deception:

  “This clearly tells us that this fish meal factory is not to be trusted and most of their information are false.” ([03:10])

• On Community Struggles:

  “Women started struggling and even losing their livelihood and jobs in fish processing.” ([05:00])

• On Youth Migration:

  “Hundreds, if not thousands of youth reach in the Atlantic Ocean trying to reach Europe.” ([06:30])

• On Collective Responsibility:

  “We need to bring the Gambia, Senegal and Mauritania and others together to fight and protect our water and our fish. I can't do it alone. We can't do it alone.” ([09:40])

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Lamin Jassey's compelling narrative serves as a crucial reminder of the delicate balance between industrial development and environmental sustainability. His advocacy for responsible fishing practices and community empowerment is vital for the preservation of not only Gunjur but also the broader marine ecosystem.

Transcript

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[Lamin Jassy]

Foreign.

[Elise Hu]

You'Re listening to TED Talks Daily, where we bring you new ideas to spark your curiosity every day. I'm your host, Elise Hu. The inhabitants of Gunger, a large fishing village in Gambia in West Africa, thought the arrival of a new fish mill would bring huge improvements to their lives. More jobs, more opportunities, more support for fishermen. Instead, inside of a year, they started to notice there were fewer fish and more polluted waters. In this talk, environmental activist Lamin Jassy shares the story of his troubling investigation into what happened in this village and what's at stake for the future of Gambia and beyond if the fish don't return.

[Lamin Jassy]

Let me tell you a story about stolen fish. My name is Laminjasi. I am a trained teacher Community leader, Coastal and marine environment activist. I am a native of Gunju, the biggest fishing village in the Gambia, West Africa. There are an estimated 25,000 inhabitants. Most of the people here are connected to fishing in some way. In 2016, a fish meal factory started operations at Gunjur fish landing site. We thought it would bring improvements to our life. After just one year, we began to realize a dramatic change in our fish supply. There were fewer and fewer fish. As an environmental activist, I started to investigate. It quickly became clear that because of these fish meal factories, we are experiencing an unusual shortage of fish. I also came to understand that this meal factory was accepted by our village leadership because of the host of viable economic promises they made. Such as providing 600 route jobs, constructing main road that links the village to the fish landing site and building fish market for the community. All of these promises are not fulfilled up to this very day. And this clearly tell us that this fish meal factory is not to be trusted and most of their information are false. I also came to know that the main raw material for this factory are fresh small pelagic fish. Most people in the Gambia depend on the same small pelagic feast as their main protein intake and source of livelihood. This is the keeper's feast that every family can afford daily and is the foundation of our local economy. The factory finances the majority of fishermen and their catches go straight to the factory. So women have only leftover fees to process and sell. Women started struggling and even losing their livelihood and jobs in fish processing. Young people also started to lose hope because most of the youth depend on tourism. The unbearable smell from the factory killed tourism in the area. Most of the youth got onto the street. Crime rate accelerated, Poverty creeps one striving community and drug and substance abuses increased. Youth search for new opportunities. Hundreds, if not thousands of youth reach in the Atlantic Ocean trying to reach Europe. And there are thousands of youth whose whereabouts are still unknown and their families are still mourning for their loved ones. In 2018, we came to realize that the fish meal factory at Gunjur fish landing site is disposing of their industrial waste into the ozone at the very area where boats are landing. This time around, I inject the management of factory. I gave them an ultimatum of one week to remove their waste pipes or we will organize people to remove it for them. When they failed to remove their waste pipe after one week, we went on as promised to remove the waste pipe with hundreds of people. After one week, five other people and myself were arrested and detained at the police station. We had to go to court for six months, but in the end we we were all acute and discharged. After this round trial, I continue to educate additional fishermen, women processors, young people about the impact of fishmeal factories and I also have been engaging government officials to revisit the decision of the government and protect the presence and future of the country. However, the government recently decided to sign a six year fishing agreement with European Union which allow bigger fishing vessels from the EU and China to fish in our waters. As a result, fish become more scarce and expensive. People's way of eating had to change direction to unimported chicken from Europe which has become cheaper than local fish. This has led to health problems and with Gambia's fragile health care system, our source of animal protein intake being compromised by fishing vessels and fish meal factories, the situation become worse and unbearable. In recent years, most of the fishermen in the region began to catch juvenile fish that were not fit for human consumption. But it all went straight into the factory. I asked the fisheries staff responsible for enforcement of fisheries regulations which prohibit catching juvenile fish, but to no avail. Instead of feeding us locally, all those fish are turned into fish meal. Then that fish meal goes out of the country, mostly to China, Europe and South America, to salmon farms and other aquaculture farms. The good news is that our organization is working with few international organizations to build the capacity of women processors artisanal fishermen to understand what is at stake and collect data at Gunju Katong and Sanyam fish landing site to inform decision makers and save the future of this country. It is my hope to bring fish back to these waters and not just for the Gambia. The fish belongs to the whole region. We need to bring the Gambia, Senegal and Mauritania and others together to fight and protect our water and our fish. I can't do it alone. We can't do it alone. Thank you very much.

[Elise Hu]

That was laminjasi recorded for TED's Countdown Dilemma series on the future of food in 2024. If you're curious about TED's curation, find out more at ted.com curationguidelines and that's it for today's show. TED Talks Daily is part of the TED Audio Collective. This episode was produced and edited by our team, Martha Estefanos, Oliver Friedman, Brian Greene, Lucy Little, Alejandra Salazar and Tonsika Sarmarnivon. It was mixed by Christopher Faizy Bogan. Additional support from Emma Tobner and Daniela Balarezo. I'm Elise Hu. I'll be back tomorrow with a fresh idea for your feed. Thanks for listening.

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