Protein drying

by Luca Catalano Gonzaga
Part of Land and ocean grabbing
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Dried fish represents a vital source of food and income for the many people living along Senegal and other Western Africa Countries shores. Based on World Bank data, about 600.000 people are employed in this sector – approximately 20 per cent of the Senegalese workforce – and fish cover 75 per cent of proteins consumption in the Country. Joal-Fadiouth is one of the most important harbours in Senegal and the biggest centre for fish workmanship in Western Africa. Before being exported to neighbour countries, the fish intended for African markets such as Mali, Burkina Faso, the Ivory Coast and Guinea is dried on thousands wood shelves. Everyday men, women and children work to make the fish dry, removing tails, heads and flippers; the prepared hand-made   fish are then laid on low tables for the final drying. Salt traders and farmers provide the straw needed for the drying process. Everyone is involved in such a valuable work for local people livelihood. Sanou Diouf, as many thousands of women in the city, works fulltime salting and drying mackerels, anchovies and sardines. Back in 2010, whenshe moved to Joal, situated south of Dakar, she was able to earn up to ten thousand francs CFA (15 euros) a day. Nowadays, because of the downturn of fishing market, she feels lucky if she can reach three thousand francs CFA. “Most of the time – she tells – I must fight to make sure there is food enough for my six kids. I bring back home some of the dried fish because, often, we have nothing else to eat.” Fish stock in Western Africa, once the richest of the world, is dropping dramatically as foreign vessels are fishing on an industrial scale and scouring the ocean to meet European and Asian markets needs, thus threatening Senegal’s livelihood and food security. (Text by Benedetta Cortesi).

  • Joal-Fadiouth, Senegal. Not far from Joal-Fadiouth beach, spirals of smoke come out from a group of outdoor ovens where many tight lines of sardines are slowly drying on boiling platings.
  • Joal-Fadiouth, Senegal. The traditional fish preparation method, using huge quantities of wood and straw to burn, produces polluted smoke damaging human health.
  • Joal-Fadiouth, Senegal. Environment pollution is one of the collateral effects of fish processing and it has severe consequences on people nutrition and health, especially on minors involved in fish preparation.
  • Joal-Fadiouth, Senegal. Smoked fish are a vital source of food and income for the many people living in those communities along Senegal’s shores and in other countries in Western Afrika. Fish resources in Western Afrika used to be the richest of the world, but now are running out because of the industrial fishing boats scouring oceans to meet European and Asian markets needs, thus threatening Senegal’s livelihood and food security.
  • Joal-Fadiouth, Senegal. Artisanal ovens for drying fish. Traditional drying techniques require a massive combustion of wood with severe consequences on human respiratory system due to CO2 excessive quantity. Besides, traditional combustion techniques releases pollutants, known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and that are carcinogenic and dangerous for lungs.
  • Joal-Fadiouth, Senega.l An artisanal fish processing plant in the Senegalese coastal town. Fish represent an important protein source for the Senegalese population. Fishing has a dominant role is its Government politics to cope with the unemployment emergency in the Country. Currently, artisanal fishing ensures approximately 60.000 jobs.
  • Joal-Fadiouth, Senegal. Women sitting among dried sardines, ready for the cleaning phase. Joal-Fadiouth is the biggest artisanal fishing harbour in Western Afrika. Before being exported to neighbour countries, the fish get dried on hundreds wooden shelves, located in the eastern side of the village.
  • Joal-Fadiouth, Senegal. Young girls sorting the fish after drying in the processing plant. Often, mothers are forced to bring their kids to work as they cannot afford school fees.
  • Joal-Fadiouth, Senegal. Women busy with preparing fish before putting them on the shelves for the drying phase. In Joal-Fadiouth, local people has been living on marine resources since generations. While men go out to sea, women dedicate themselves to preparing fish products.
  • Joal-Fadiouth, Senegal. A cart plenty of sardines ready for drying in the outdoor ovens has just arrived from the harbour.
  • Joal-Fadiouth, Senegal. Men salt the fish before having it drying in an artisanal fish processing plant located in the Senegalese costal town.
  • Joal-Fadiouth, Senegal. Hundreds of men, women and children sort and cut fish. In addition, there are salt traders and farmers who deliver straw loads, used in the smoking process.
  • Joal-Fadiouth, Senegal. Hundreds of salted sardines throughout drying process.
  • Joal-Fadiouth, Senegal. Every day men, women and children work in smoking fish, removing tails, flippers, heads; finished fish are then laid on low tables for the final drying.
  • Joal-Fadiouth, Senegal. Sardines get unloaded so to start the drying process in the outdoor artisanal ovens. Fresh fish get cleaned, stew, salted and then left to dry under the sun.
  • Joal-Fadiouth, Senegal. Women are mainly involved in fish preparation. They are all self-employed and suffer from the consequences of the continuous fish stock reduction: sardines, ever destined to be dried and smoked are more and more scarce, and therefore become more expensive.
  • Joal Fadiouth, Senegal. Common source of proteins, smoked fish is appreciated for its taste, nutritional factors, competitive prices compared to other protein sources – milk, meat, eggs – e for its long-lasting conservation, ranging from 3 to 6 months.
  • Joal-Fadiouth, Senegal. The traditional fish preparation method, using huge quantities of wood and straw to burn, produces polluted smoke damaging human health.
  • Joal-Fadiouth, Senegal. Preparation of fish belonging to Genus Sardinella (herrings and sardines), considered by many people as poor fish. Genus Sardinella is one of the most widespread fish in Senegal’s waters, and represents approximately two thirds of this nation’s fish catch.
  • Joal-Fadiouth, Senegal. Once smoked with fire, fish get wet before extraction and final cleaning.
  • Joal-Fadiouth, Senegal. Artisanal plants for sardines drying. Smoked fish represent a vital source of food and income for many communities living along the shores of the African continent.
  • Joal-Fadiouth, Senegal. Dried sardines on long wooden shelves.
  • Joal-Fadiouth, Senegal. A working woman inside sardines drying ground.
  • Joal-Fadiouth, Senegal. Women working in the fishmeal production. Given unstoppable demand from China, pushing fishmeal prices at record level, companies focus on Western Afrika as new supply source.
  • Joal-Fadiouth, Senegal Fishmeal preparation – a powder plenty of nutrients that feeds aquaculture industry, a 160-billion dollars’ machine. Fish farming is one of the most rapid growing food sectors and it is overtaking wild fishing as biggest source for human consumption.
  • Joal-Fadiouth, Senegal. Sanori Diouf and her daughter Auly in front of their house. They work 8 hours a day in a fishmeal production plant and earn on average per capita 2.500 CFA (approx. 4 Euro). People around the world are more and more keen on eating animal proteins, thus determining a continuous increase in fishmeal and fish oil offer.
  • Joal-Fadiouth, Senegal. Coumba Keità at home. “It’s hard for me to feed my six kids – I bring back home a few fish I dry during the day, often there’s nothing else to eat”, Coumba said. Once among the richest in the world, African fish stocks run out because of trawlers, industrial fishing boats, combing the oceans to feed European and Asian markets.
  • Joal-Fadiouth, Senegal. Yafatou Sarra t home. She used to work in a local drying fish firm. “Actions taken by aquaculture plants and foreign trawlers drained us”, Yafatou said. According to environmental group Greenpeace, over 400 foreign fishing boats, mainly from China, Europe and Russia navigate Western Africa waters.
  • Joal-Fadiouth, Senegal. Kara Badji, 18 years old. As thousands of women in Joal-Fadiouth, Kara works full-time salting and smoking small pelagic fishes, such as sardines, herrings and mackerels sold throughout Western Africa. When she moved to town, back in 2010, Kara used to earn up to 10.000 CFA (16 Euro) a day. Now, she’s lucky when she gets 3.000 CFA (5 Euro) as fish stock are continuously declining.
  • Joal-Fadiouth, Senegal. Kara Badji, 18 years old. As thousands of women in Joal-Fadiouth, Kara works full-time salting and smoking small pelagic fishes, such as sardines, herrings and mackerels sold throughout Western Africa. When she moved to town, back in 2010, Kara used to earn up to 10.000 CFA (16 Euro) a day. Now, she’s lucky when she gets 3.000 CFA (5 Euro) as fish stock are continuously declining.
  • Joal-Fadiouth, Senegal. Smoked fish represent a vital source of food and income for the many people living along the shores in Senegal and in other Countries in Western Africa.
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