the best fish is a local one
global trade creates poverty on togo's
coastlines
friends of the earth togo
Togolese beaches bustle with activity in
the early morning as the wooden ‘pirogues'
are pushed out to sea, and later in the
afternoon when they are hauled back in.
Women smoke the fish and sell them on the
beach and at the local market, just as
their parents and grandparents did.
However, these traditions are imperilied,
and hunger and poverty are on the rise
along these palmfringed beaches.
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It is an absurdity of
the global market that 74 percent of
the fish eaten in Togo is caught in
northern Europe , while many of the
country's coastal fisherfolk are no
longer able to sustain themselves by
fishing. Hunger is increasing, as many
people can no longer afford to buy the
fish that is a major source of their
protein. |
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Togo 's coastline and its inhabitants
are threatened by modern fishing fleets
from northern Europe , which dominate the
sea and deplete its marine resources. They
are enabled by international trade
agreements, with the European Union for
example, which provide unfair subsidies
favoring large-scale operations over
community based coastal livelihoods. The
governments of Togo and other West African
countries are torn between the promised
‘development' and income promised by these
trade agreements and the need to protect
the natural resources upon which people
depend for their livelihoods.
Friends of the Earth Togo is campaigning
to convince the people of Togo to buy
locally caught fish rather than cheaper
foreign imports. They are also educating
local fisherfolk about the importance of
using alternative nets which allow the
young fish to escape back into the sea
where they can later breed. They support
suspending fishing activities during
certain periods, traditionally one week per
month during the full moon, so that fish
stocks can be replenished. They are also
working with local women in promoting
alternative ways of smoking fish, using
recycled wood rather than local trees or
charcoal. At the same time, Friends of the
Earth groups in Europe are lobbying against
the unsustainable European Union policies
and regulations that are harming the
fisherfolk of West Africa .
