Are subsidies still relevant in West African artisanal small pelagic fishery? Insights from long run bioeconomic scenarios

Small pelagic fishes are the main fish resource in North West Africa. In senegal this resource is mainly represented by Sardinella aurita and S. maderensis and the fishery is mostly composed by artisanal fishing units using purse seines and encircling gill nets. It is of great importance for the Senegalese economy and food security. Since the 1970′s this fishery has been largely subsidized. For many reasons, fishery subsidies are subject to severe criticism in scientific literature and from international institutions and NGO’s. To assess fisheries subsidies impact, we use a bioeconomic model to simulate the dynamics of sardinella exploitation by testing different scenarios. The results show that the fishery is economically overexploited and that subsidies contribute to this poor economic performance. In the current situation, the total cut of subsidies would allow the State in the long term to save about 56 billion XOF and to increase the economic rent present value by 206 %. The main losers in this case are ship owners who will face a decrease of 30 % of profits. The suppression of subsidies could also contribute to a better regulation of artisanal fishing capacity. However, subsidies cuts lead to better long-term economic results if associated with fishing capacity control. Nevertheless, the implementation of such a measure will necessarily come up against the cultural nature of artisanal fishing in Senegal, mainly composed of family-type fishing units embedded in a community context where fishing plays an identity and subsistence role and the latter meaning that people prioritize short term gains.