Conflicts at sea between artisanal and industrial fishers: Inter-sectoral interactions and dispute resolution in Senegal

Conflicts between artisanal and industrial fishermen—targeting increasingly scarce resources in Senegal—are posing a serious threat to human security and are only symbolically addressed by the country's fisheries governance regime. Severely outmatched in terms of political influence and size, artisanal fishermen are more vulnerable to the fallout of conflicts at sea. The loss of fishing materials threatens the livelihoods of fishermen and their families; collisions and violence between members of the two sectors often result in injury and death. This study examines at-sea interactions between Senegal's artisanal and industrial sectors and the formal and informal mechanisms in place for managing them. Conflictive interactions are found to co-exist alongside cooperative ones and both emerge in response to changes in marine resource abundance and management. Formal systems in place to mediate at-sea conflicts are ineffective and seldom used by artisanal fishermen, who either accept their losses, attempt to informally resolve conflicts with industrial actors or resort to violence.

► At-sea conflicts between artisanal and industrial fishers in Senegal are examined.
► Artisanal-industrial (AI) conflicts are commonplace and can escalate into violence.
► Conflictive interactions between fishers co-exist alongside cooperative ones.
► AI conflicts reflect a variety of fisheries governance failures.
► Power imbalances affect government administered dispute resolution mechanisms.