1. Skip to content
  2. Skip to main menu
  3. Skip to more DW sites
Live TV
Latest audioLatest videos
In focus
Middle EastUkraineUS election 2024
Food SecuritySenegal

Raid on the Atlantic

July 1, 2024

West African waters once had some of the richest fish stocks in the world. Today they are severely depleted. Fishermen in Senegal fear for their livelihoods.

https://p.dw.com/p/4gufa
Raid on the Atlantic
The fishermen have no chance against the huge trawlers with their traditional boats.Image: Andana

Europeans, Chinese, Russians and Turks have overfished the waters.

Raid on the Atlantic
Senegal is one of the African countries with the highest per capita consumption of fish.Image: Andana

The abundance of fish was once a blessing for the people of Senegal. Now, fish stocks have been severely depleted. For decades, fishermen here have been increasingly deprived of their livelihoods.

Raid on the Atlantic
Fishing fleets from overseas, climate change and environmental pollution are destroying traditional livelihoods in Senegal.Image: Andana

Senegal signed the first bilateral fisheries agreement with the EU in 1979. What was originally intended to benefit both parties has become a nightmare for the Senegalese. First came the Europeans, then the Chinese, Russians and Turks. Using ultra-modern trawlers, they overfish the waters. Illegal fishing is also rampant. 

The collapse of fish stocks threatens fishermen and their families. But it also puts Senegal’s main food staple, fish, at risk. 

Raid on the Atlantic
The golden days of the proud fishermen in Senegal are over. Image: Andana

The film follows local fishermen in West Africa who are forced to watch as their fish stocks are hauled off by large foreign trawlers. In addition to the fishermen, activists and experts are interviewed to shed light on the situation. What is the background, who is responsible, and what are the effects on local and global levels?

Broadcasting Hours: 

DW English

WED 10.07.2024 – 01:15 UTC
WED 10.07.2024 – 04:15 UTC
THU 11.07.2024 – 09:15 UTC
THU 11.07.2024 – 16:15 UTC
THU 11.07.2024 – 21:15 UTC
FRI 12.07.2024 – 12:15 UTC
SAT 13.07.2024 – 02:15 UTC
SUN 14.07.2024 – 08:15 UTC

Lagos UTC +1 | Cape Town UTC +2 | Nairobi UTC +3
Delhi UTC +5,5 I Bangkok UTC +7 | Hong Kong UTC +8
London UTC +1 | Berlin UTC +2 | Moscow UTC +3
San Francisco UTC -7 | Edmonton UTC -6 | New York UTC -4