Journal of Regional Fisheries
Online ISSN : 2435-712X
Print ISSN : 1342-7857
Articles
Reconsideration on Measures for the Promotion of Small-scale Fishers Self-reliance in West Africa
In the Case of Pecheur Mareyeur Observed at Fishing Villages in Senegal
Tokio KITAMADO
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JOURNAL OPEN ACCESS

2007 Volume 47 Issue 1 Pages 117-136

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Abstract

It is always difficult to organize small-scale fishers because they are small scale in management and operate their activities individually. Small-scale fishers organizing strategy i.e. establishing fishermen’s cooperative societies by eliminating fish merchants has possibilities as well as risks in fishing villages where the relationships between fishers and fish merchants are basic social component. This is because activities of fishermen’s cooperative society often compete with fish merchants’.

This paper reconsiders small-scale fishers organizing strategy which are believed to be almost only a way to attain small-scale fishers self-reliance by cutting off fish merchant controls. As one of alternatives to promote small-scale fishers self-reliance by organizing them to face against fish merchants, possibilities small-scale fishers can face against fish merchants individually by strengthening household basis are discussed through the case study observed at fishing villages in Senegal, West Africa.

Fish merchants have been increasing number of small-scale fishers under their control in Senegal without any appropriate measures for their organizing strategy. Under such circumstances, there exist senior partners in fisher’s households called pecheur mareyeur in certain fishing villages. They are the one who obtains profits by selling fishery products of several fishing boats under their management to fish merchants with quota of certain fish processing companies. They keep authority to sell fish products of several fishing boats under their family or clan as senior partners in independent fisher’s households, becoming main actors to maintain big family household unity, and attaining roles of protection against fish merchant’s control.

The promoting measure of small-scale fishers going into business, as one of alternatives to promote small-scale fishers self-reliance, has possibility to balance profit sharing between fish producers and merchants, without any risk induced by competing relationship between them, because it is not necessary to eliminate fish merchants with the same measure.

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© 2007 The Japan Regional Fisheries Society
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