The international fish market and technological advances to satisfy demand are among the main drivers that have damaged marine ecosystems. This situation has resulted in the vulnerability of SSF communities, who depend on these same ecosystems for various functions and services, including cultural services, the supply of fish for income and food, etc. However, fishers are managing to navigate through some of the twists and turns offered by the market and a range of technologies in a perpetual search for ways to ensure a transition to guarantee viability of SSF, including its cultural dimensions. The webinar talk aims to share initiatives by small-scale fishers from a socio-anthropological angle drawing on examples from Senegalese fishing communities.

The talk is presented by Aliou Sall, a researcher specializing in the development studies in the field of fisheries. He is the director of the NGO CREDETIP in Senegal which works mainly with small-scale fishers. communities. Aliou also serves as the vice-president of Mundus maris, a non-profit organization that provides scientific and relevant indigenous knowledge and encourages artistic expressions about the sea in order to promote its restoration, conservation and sustainable use. He has been conducting research in social anthropology of artisanal fisheries for over 25 years. During this period he worked with trade unions and social movement’s of fishers in Senegal and other countries in West Africa such as Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Guinea Conakry, Benin, Togo and Ghana.