Sénégal: Réforme Code Pêche Maritime Priorise Transparence Données

• A workshop organized by the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) discussed enhancing transparency and access to information in Senegal's fishing sector.
• Key speakers emphasized the need for clear rules, reliable data, and effective surveillance due to resource pressure, highlighting fishing's importance for livelihoods.
• Transparency should encompass comprehensive data, including stock status, licenses, vessel ownership, catches, and revenues, to foster better governance and sustainability.
• Senegal's existing frameworks, such as the 2025-2029 fisheries policies, co-management principles, and the new Law n°2025-15 on access to information, support these transparency goals.
• Parliamentary representatives and civil society leaders expressed commitment to promoting transparency and facilitating public access to information regarding sector reforms.

The current revision of the Maritime Fishing Code is viewed as a prime opportunity to embed principles of transparency and stakeholder involvement within the legal and administrative practices.

A recent workshop, spearheaded by the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) as part of its initiative to promote transparency principles and strengthen participatory surveillance in Senegal, brought together a diverse group of stakeholders. Media professionals, institutional representatives, and civil society members convened to discuss critical issues surrounding access to information, the ongoing Sénégal réforme Code pêche maritime, and the oversight of public policies. This significant project receives financial backing from Oceans 5 and Bloomberg, underscoring the international interest in sustainable fisheries governance in the region.

During the workshop's opening, Cheikh Fall, the Director of Marine Fisheries, highlighted the profound importance of the fishing industry to Senegal. He emphasized its crucial role in providing food security, generating employment, and sustaining the livelihoods of numerous coastal communities. Faced with increasing pressure on marine resources, Fall stressed the imperative for clear regulatory frameworks, dependable data, and robust monitoring mechanisms to ensure long-term viability.

Fall articulated that enhanced transparency is vital for empowering citizens and industry professionals. It enables them to fully comprehend the conditions governing access to marine resources, understand administrative decisions, and effectively monitor their outcomes. Key strategies for achieving this include improving access to information regarding fishing authorizations, enhancing data collection processes, and publicly disseminating details on control and surveillance operations. He also advocated for the active involvement of fishers, researchers, and civil society in decisions related to resource management, viewing the current revision of the Maritime Fishing Code as a prime opportunity to embed these principles within the legal and administrative practices.

Moussa Mbengue, the Executive Secretary of the Association Ouest Africaine pour le Développement de la Pêche Artisanale (Adepa), expanded on the concept of transparency, arguing that it extends far beyond mere data publication. He detailed a comprehensive list of information that should be publicly available, including the status of fish stocks, criteria for resource access, details of licenses and authorizations, the identity and ownership of fishing vessels, catch data, fishing effort, control measures, infractions and sanctions, and the revenues generated by the sector. Mbengue also identified co-management practices, the trade and traceability of fishery products, and the conditions for establishing processing factories as areas requiring greater informational clarity.

Mbengue underscored the critical importance of data quality, asserting that useful information must possess several key attributes: it should be accessible, reliable, current, understandable, and verifiable. He encapsulated this philosophy with the chain: “transparency, trust, better governance, sustainability,” emphasizing that improved Accès information pêche Sénégal allows both citizens and professionals to gain a deeper understanding of public decisions and to participate more meaningfully and knowledgeably in the sector's management. This holistic approach is central to achieving effective Gouvernance pêche Sénégal.

Senegal already possesses several foundational instruments that can underpin this push for greater transparency in its fisheries. The Adepa presentation highlighted that transparency is explicitly integrated into the nation's sectoral fisheries and aquaculture policies, particularly within the current framework spanning the period 2025-2029. Furthermore, the principle of co-management, initially introduced with the 1998 Maritime Fishing Code and subsequently reinforced by the 2015 Code and its implementing decree, stands as an established mechanism for stakeholder participation.

A pivotal development in this context is the Loi n°2025-15 accès information Sénégal, which is recognized as a significant avenue for enhancing public access to data pertinent to the fishing sector. This legislative reform, alongside the broader Sénégal réforme Code pêche maritime, signals a concerted effort to modernize and open up the industry's regulatory landscape. These legal and policy advancements are crucial for fostering a more accountable and sustainable fishing environment.

The discussion around legislative reforms also featured insights from Deputy Samba Dang, who chairs the Réseau des parlementaires pour la protection de l’environnement au Sénégal (REPES). He highlighted the instrumental role of parliamentarians in championing the Global Charter for Fisheries Transparency and advocated for increased collaboration among elected officials, journalists, and technical and financial partners. Dang affirmed the Parliament's readiness to facilitate journalists' access to information concerning reforms within the sector, reinforcing the commitment to public oversight.

Bassirou Diarra, the Environmental Justice Foundation Sénégal Country Director, further contextualized these critical issues, emphasizing the broader implications for environmental justice and sustainable development. The collective engagement from parliamentary bodies, civil society organizations, and international partners underscores the widespread recognition of the need for robust Transparence données pêche Sénégal to safeguard marine resources and support coastal communities.

Lawyers advising clients in Senegal's fishing sector should closely monitor the ongoing reform of the Maritime Fishing Code and new transparency initiatives. These developments signal potential changes to data access, licensing conditions, and compliance obligations, requiring proactive legal counsel to ensure clients adapt to evolving regulatory frameworks.

Source: Original reporting via Environmental Justice Foundation workshop