SYNTHETIC TABLE OF OFFICIAL POLICIES
PERTAINING TO ARTISANAL FISHERIES
AND MIGRANT FISHERMEN
(based on the replies given by 13 countries
to a questionnaire distributed to fishery
departments in the West African region)
I. FISHING ZONES RESERVED FOR ARTISANAL FISHERY (map N_ 1)
All the countries in the region (apart from Liberia for which the information was not available) have established a fishing zone reserved for artisanal fishery.
However, considerable variations may be observed in the different countries ; the Côte d'Ivoire has the most narrow limit (1 nautical mile although an extension to 2 miles is probable) and Guinea-Bissau the widest (12 nautical miles).
In between these extremes, one may distinguish two groups:
A7 a group with a relatively narrow reserved zone ranging from 2 (Cameroon and Nigeria) and 3 n. miles (Mauritania, Benin and Gabon) to 4 n. miles (Togo).
A7 a second group with relatively wide reserved zones ranging from 5 (Sierra Leone) and 6 n. miles (Senegal, Guinea) to 8 n. miles (Congo).
In the case of Ghana, this distance from the coast could not be measured as the artisanal fishing zone is determined according to bathometric depth (30 meters).
In addition, some countries tolerate the used of the reserved zone by certain types of vessels. This is the case in Senegal where sardine-boats are allowed to fish within 3 miles of the coast and in Ghana, where the limitation is not applied to pelagic vessels. In addition, Guinea reserves the zone between 6 and 15 nautical miles for "advanced" artisanal fisheries.
Other countries, on the other hand, have restrictions to certain types of artisanal fishing, some of which are totally prohibited. This is the case of beach seines in The Gambia and drift nets in Benin.
All the countries impose sanctions on industrial vessels (and semi-industrial ones in some cases) that violate the reserved zones. These sanctions take the same form everywhere, that is to say fines (the amount of which varies according to the country), coupled with confiscation of the catch and/or temporary seizure of the vessel. There are only two countries (Senegal and Mauritania) where these measures are theoretically coupled with prison sentences, while Benin and Gabon give the offender the choice between prison and payment of the fine.
II. TAXES, RIGHTS AND FEES
1. Fees and fishing rights
The first significant fact is that no country admits to any official distinction between national fishermen and foreigners. When categorial distinctions appear, notably in the payment of fees or fishing rights, these are made according to technological differences so as to the type of fishery (Guinea-Bissau excepted). This is the case in the Congo where the big motorized canoes (of the Popoh type) pay 25.000 F CFA, double the annual fee paid by the smaller motorized boats (Vili type). The same differentiation is to be found in the Cameroon, where there are 4 categories of fishing licence. The large artisanal boats are classed as category A ; that is "semi-industrial fishing" and pay an annual fee of 50.000 F CFA compared to "sport fishing" (25.000 F CFA), shrimping (5.000 F CFA) and "lucrative artisanal fishery" (3.000 F CFA).
Guinea-Bissau, along with Togo, seems to be the only country making a real distinction between national and foreign fishermen in the payment of fishing licences. In the former, the scale is from 1 to 10 in disfavours of the foreign fishing units : 25.000 Guinean pesos (5 US $) compared to 250.000 PG (50 US $) for non-motorized canoes ; 100.000 PG (20 US $) to 1.045.000 PG (209 US $) for motorized canoes. In Togo, however, the scale is of 1 to 2, whereas the amount of the fees is minimal anyway (1.000 F CFA for nationals and 2.000 F CFA for foreigners). Generally though, disregarding the case in Togo, and The Gambia where fishermen are shortly to be exempted from the payment of fishing licences, one may observe the existence of two types of policies, greatly contrasted, with regards to rights and licences or taxation of artisanal fishery products.
On the one hand, a group made up of Mauritania, Senegal, Ghana, Benin, and Nigeria, where artisanal fishery units are exempted from all taxes and fees. On the other, a group made up of Guinea-Bissau, CF4te d'Ivoire, Cameroon, Gabon, Congo and Guinea, where the taxes and fees to be paid are considerable. We have already looked at Guinea-Bissau, Cameroon and Congo. As for the last 2 countries, one must also add a production tax of 2 F CFA/kilo (Cameroon) as well as 25 F CFA/kilo on tuna landed in the Congo. However, it is not clear whether this last tax concerns artisanal fisheries (small tuna).
In CF4te d'Ivoire, fishing rights are collected in two ways ; the licence itself (15,000 F CFA/year) and a boat tax (36.000 F CFA) for a total of 51.000 F CFA per annum. In Gabon, the fishing rights are even higher, being 25.000 F CFA a quarter, or a total of 100.000 F CFA per annum. Lastly, Guinea (Conakry) applies a particularly heavy system of taxation whereby the merchant navy collects five different taxes : inspection for putting into service, exceptional technical inspection, navigation licence, driving licence and professional card (for a total of FG 37.000) and the fishery department two other fees - fishing licence and professional card, the latter at FG 500 per horse power of the engine. The total amount paid in taxes is therefore FG 49.500 to FG 57.000 or more, depending on the power and number of engines, FG 500 worth about 1 US $. (According to another source - see IDAF/WP/36, p.110 - both the merchant navy and the fisheries department in Guinea apply two additional fees each bringing the total taxes to somewhere between FG 118.000 and FG 159.000).
2. Customs duty exemptions on equipment and fuel
Customs duties complete the picture of taxation policies as applied to artisanal fishery in the region. None of the countries make any distinction between national and foreign fishermen at this level. One does observe however, with slight variations, the same tendencies already apparent in the area of fishing rights.
In fact, Mauritania, Senegal, the Gambia, Togo and Ghana all apply a policy of exemption to artisanal fishermen for all duty due on equipment and fuel (only partial exemption for fuel in Ghana) whereas the Congo, Gabon, Guinea and Guinea-Bissau do not practice any kind of exoneration whatsoever. Between the two tendencies, we may situate Cameroon where only the equipment in exempted from duty ; CF4te d'Ivoire and Benin (partially) where only the fuel is exempt. Lastly, in Nigeria, the equipment is taxed, but the locally produced fuel is the cheapest in the region (0,60 Naira per litre, about 0.06 US $ or less than 20 F CFA).
3. Import and export taxes
Senegal, probably taking advantage of its limited imports of fishery products, is the only country, together with Guinea, that does not collect import or export taxes.
CF4te d'Ivoire recently abolished VAT on exported products and even established a bonus on exports. Mauritania, the Gambia, Guinea-Bissau and Congo thus remain the only countries still taxing exports of fishery products. However, for reasons perhaps similar to Senegal, Mauritania does not collect customs duties on imports. All the other countries, except for Guinea, collect import tax on different categories of products at a rate of 5 to 30 - 35 % of their value.
III. CONDITIONS AND CONTRIBUTIONS OF MIGRANTS IN TERMS OF HOST COUNTRIES AND COUNTRIES OF ORIGIN
The second part of the questionnaire inquired about the migrants' situation but also on the way they are perceived by official services. It was presented with two types of questions; those directed at countries receiving large immigrant communities and those directed at countries "exporting" migrant fishermen. Benin and Nigeria are the only countries concerned by both aspects in a significant way. The present summary is based on the assumption that the replies given are a general reflection of the true situation.
1. Countries of immigration : Mauritania, The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, CF4te d'Ivoire, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon and Congo
Certain facts appear to apply massively to all these countries with respect to the access migrants have to motors, equipment and credit. This access is considered by those answering the questionnaire to be the same for all, regardless of origin. Only Togo and Gabon admit to differentiate on the subject of credit, and Mauritania did not reply to this question. However, the latter is the only country where it is not considered that the migrants posses better equipment than nationals.
As for transfer of technology from migrants to nationals, only Cameroon and Gabon consider that this does not occur, while Mauritania was unable to answer. Lastly, conflicts are considered as rare except in CF4te d'Ivoire and Gabon where they are said to occur frequently.
2. Countries of emigration : Senegal, Ghana, Benin and Nigeria
No distinct pattern appears except for those questions concerning consular registration (only Senegal affirms that it actually takes place) and the signing of bilateral agreements. The situation of Senegal and its neighbours (Guinea-Bissau, the Gambia and Mauritania) differs greatly from the pattern of migrations in the Gulf of Guinea as a whole, where no bilateral agreements have been singed between countries of immigration and emigration. As for the other subjects raised (importance of income repatriated to the country of origin, importance of migrants contribution to the host country, flight of subsidized equipment and qualified labour force), the situation is appraised differently depending on the countries and even constitutes in some cases (on the subject of subsidized equipment for example) problems of interpretation. On the whole however, it would appear that Ghana is the country where the impact of emigration is least felt (in terms of income as well as drain) in contrast to Benin and to a lesser degree, Senegal, followed by Nigeria.
MAP No. 1
FISHING ZONES RESERVED FOR ARTISANAL FISHERIES
ANALYSIS OF A QUESTIONNAIRE DISTRIBUTED TO FISHERIES DEPARTMENTS IN WEST AFRICA
