The mobility strategies of the Senegalese fishermen at the Senegal-Mauritania maritime border

Juliette Hallaire

Abstract


Since the beginning of the 1980s, fishermen from the northern Senegalese border city of Saint Louis have faced significant difficulties at the Senegal-Mauritania maritime border. As a response to the strengthening of Mauritania’s border controls, they have developed mobility strategies to reach Mauritanian waters and circumvent border regulation practices. Drawing on in-depth field interviews in Senegal, this article sheds light on Saint Louis fishermen’s different strategies and tactics. I argue that fishermen have become active border producers and that their movement has shaped the maritime borderland in a geographic and political sense. I will show that through these mobility strategies and tactics, the local fishermen have developed significant appropriation practices of the Mauritanian maritime spaces. Their specific language and knowledge, creation of names and mental representations of these spaces challenge Mauritania’s fishing resources regulation and give legitimacy to their illegal cross-border movement.

References


Adey, P. (2010), Mobility: Key Ideas in Geography, London: Routle dge .

Anderson, J. and O’Dowd, L. (1999), ‘Borders, border regions and territoriality: Contradictory meanings, changing significance’, Regional Studies, 33:7, pp. 593–604.

Application Protocole (2008), ‘Protocole d’Application de la Convention en Matière de Pêche et d’Aquaculture Signée le 25 Février 2001 à Nouakchott’/ ‘Protocol for the Application of the Convention on Fisheries and Aquaculture, Signed in Nouakchott on 25 February 2001’, Government of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania and Government of the Republic of Senegal.

Bakhayokho, M., Chaboud, C., Diop, H., Mustapha, K., Nguer, A., Ahmed, O. M. and Mathoeung, S. (1988), Les Ressources Halieutiques de la Zee Mauritanienne – Description, Évaluation et Amménagement/Fishery Resources of the Mauritanian Sea: Description, Assessment and Management, Nouakchott: FAO, pp. 1–19.

Carayol, Rémi (2012), ‘Sénégal – Mauritanie: La vie entre pêcheurs n’est pas un long fleuve tranquille’/’Senegal-Mauritania: The life of fishermen is not a bed of roses’, Jeune Afrique, 2 February, www.jeuneafrique.com/Article/JA2663p043-045.xml0/#ixzz1lPTeAlwm. Accessed 13 December 2013.

Catanzano, J. and Rey Valette, H. (2002), ‘Histoire des pêches, accords de pêche and politiques publiques en Afrique de l’Ouest’/‘History of fisheries, fisheries agreements, and public policy in West Africa’, Proceedings of the International Symposium of Dakar, Dakar, Senegal, 24–28 June.

Chauveau, J.-P. (1984), ‘La Pêche Piroguière Sénégalaise, les Leçons de l’Histoire’/‘Senegalese canoe fishing: Lessons of history’, Revue Mer, special issue, pp. 10–15.

Convention (1983), ‘Convention entre le Gouvernement de la République du Sénégal et le Gouvernement de la République Islamique de Mauritanie dans le Domaine de la Pêche Maritime (1983)’/’Convention between the Government of the Republic of Senegal and the Government of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania in the area of maritime fishing (1983)’, Nouakchott, faolex.fao.org/docs/pdf/bi-1860. Accessed 3 December 2013 .

de Certeau, M. (1984), The Practice of Everyday Life, Berkeley: University of California Press .

Diop, H. and Thiam, I. (1991), ‘Quelques Aspects des Migrations de Pêcheurs du Secteur Artisanal Maritime en Mauritanie’/‘Some aspects of the migration of artisanal maritime fishermen in Mauritania’, in J. Haakonsen and C. Diaw (eds), Migration des Pêcheurs en Afrique de l’Ouest/Migration of Fishermen in West Africa, Cotonou: FAO, Danida, Norway, pp. 39–48.

Governement of Islamic Republic of Mauritania (2013), ‘Politique de développement du secteur de la pêche’/ ‘Fisheries sector development policy’, www.mauritania.mr/fr/index.php?niveau=4&coderub=35&codesousrub=42. Accessed 10 February 2014.

Johnson, C., Jones, R., Paasi, A., Amoore, L., Mountz, A., Salter, M. and Rumford, C. (2011), ‘Interventions on rethinking “the border” in border studies’, Political Geography, 30:2, pp. 61–69.

Marfaing, L. (2005), ‘Du savoir faire sénégalais en matière de pêche sur les côtes mauritaniennes: Une approche historique’/‘Senegalese expertise in fishing off the Senegalese coast: A historical approach’, Stichproben. Wiener Zeitschrift Für Kritische Afrikastudien, 8:5, pp. 69–98.

Martín, J. I. (2010), ‘Fisheries in Mauritania and fisheries agreements with the EU’, Policy Department Structural and Cohesion Policies, European Parliament, Brussels, 74pp.

Ndarinfo (2011a), ‘Pêche: les guet-ndariens de nouveau autorisés à mener leurs activités en Mauritanie’/‘Fishing: The Guet-Ndariens again allowed to conduct their activities in Mauritania’, 5 May, www.ndarinfo.com/Peche-les-guet-ndariens-de-nouveau-autorises-a-mener-leurs-activites-en-Mauritanie_a374.html. Accessed 15 April 2014.

____ (2011b), ‘15 pirogues saisies à Ndiago : les pêcheurs guet ndariens dans tous leurs états’/ ’15 canoes enter at Ndiago: The Guet Ndarien fishermen in all their states’, 13 December, www.ndarinfo.com/15-pirogues-saisies-a-Ndiago-les-pecheurs-guet-ndariens-dans-tous-leurs-etats-_a1404.html. Accessed 13 December 2013.

____ (2012), ‘Sénégal – Mauritanie: De nouvelles zones d’ombre à dissiper’/‘Senegal-Mauritania: New shadows to be dispelled’, 17 January, www.ndarinfo.com/Senegal-Mauritanie-De-nouvelles-zones-d-ombre-a-dissiper_a1696.html. Accessed 13 December 2013.

Nguyen-Van-Chi-Bonnardel, R. (1992), Saint-Louis du Sénégal: Mort ou Naissance?/ « Saint Louis du Senegal: death or birth? », Paris: L’Harmattan .

OCDE (2010), ‘Case no. 1: Senegal-Mauritania conflict’, Security Implications of Climate Change in the Sahel Region, Paris, pp. 1–6.

Rumford, C. (2006), ‘Theorizing borders’, European Journal of Social Theory, 9: 2, pp. 155–69.

Scott, J . (1998). Seeing like a state : how certain schemes to improve the human condition have failed. Yale agrarian studies. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press.

SRPS – CSSC (2011), ‘Situation des Pirogues Arraisonnées en Mauritanie (RIM) entre le 12/06/2009 et le 15/12/2011’/ ‘The situation of Arraisonnés canoes in Mauritania (RIM) from 12 June 2009 to 15 December 2011’, Saint Louis, Sénégal, 10 pp.

Steinberg, P. (2001), The Social Construction of the Ocean, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

____ (2013), ‘Of other seas : Metaphors and materialities in maritime regions’, Atlantic Studies, 10:2, pp. 156–69.

Stewart, C. (1989), ‘Une Interprétation du Conflit Sénégalo-Mauritanien’/‘An interpretation of the Senegal-Mauritania conflict’, Revue Du Monde Musulman et de La Méditerranée, 54:1, pp. 161–70.

Wilson, T. and Hastings, D. (1998), Border Identities: Nation and State at International Frontiers, New York: Cambridge University Press


Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.