By Sanna Jallow
Fishermen at Brufut fish landing site have blamed the scarcity and high price of fish on the presence of Chinese fishing vessels which they alleged are destroying their fishing nets at sea.
The Gambia, a land blessed with beautiful and navigable river for fishing is faced with shortage of fish in the market. This has resulted in price hiking of fish. Fish is part of the staple foods in the Gambia and also as an income generating avenue for many.
Dam sarr, a fisherman accused the Chinese fishing boats of destroying their fishing net which is making their work difficult and thereby not being able to catch enough fish to meet public demand.
He lamented that fishing is their source of income from which they feed their families and also take care of other needs.
Mariam Colley, a dry fish seller at the Brufut fish landing site, said life has been difficult for her since the landing site started facing scarcity of fish for the past few months, noting that her source of income has reduced drastically, making it difficult for her to pay rent and her children’s school fees.
Fishermen and fish vendors at the Brufut fish landing site called on government to come to their aid and settle the problem between them and the Chinese fishermen, disclosing that they are losing millions of dalasi.
The recent shortage of fish has left both fisherman, vendors and consumers in difficult times especially in this moment of Covid-19 pandemic.
It is evident that such a situation adversely affects the lives and livelihood of fishermen, traders, retailers and consumers in the Gambia, and it also makes life difficult for most households in the country.
