By Madiba Singhateh
The question of why passenger and artisanal fishing boats in The Gambia do not have a clear and widely enforced identification system has been on the national agenda for years. Unlike motor vehicles, which are required to carry registration numbers that allow them to be identified and traced, many boats operating in Gambian waters remain difficult to identify individually.
At the centre of the problem is a question of responsibility involving the Gambia Maritime Agency (GMA), the Department of Fisheries and the ministry responsible for fishing. But the bigger question is not simply which institution should issue a number plate. It is whether every vessel operating on Gambian waters should have a clear identity, registration record and minimum safety requirements.
The need for such a system becomes more urgent when viewed against the risks faced by people who depend on the country’s waterways. Boats collide with other vessels, including large industrial trawlers. Fires occur at sea. Fishing nets are destroyed. People fall overboard. And, in some cases, basic safety equipment such as life jackets may not meet the required standards. When a vessel is not properly registered or identified, tracing it after an accident or other incident becomes more difficult.
For artisanal fishing boats, registration also has implications beyond safety. It can help authorities establish how many vessels are operating, where they are based, how much fishing activity is taking place and which areas are being used. Accurate registration can therefore provide authorities with information needed to manage the country’s fisheries and protect marine resources.
The issue is not necessarily the absence of a legal framework. Under the National Fisheries Act and its regulations, the Director of Fisheries has powers relating to the registration of commercial fishing canoes and the issuing of exploitation licences. The fees include D750 for motorised boats and D500 for non-motorised boats. The Department of Fisheries’ role is linked to legal access to fishing and the collection of information about fishing activity and catches.
The GMA, meanwhile, has a broader responsibility for maritime safety. Its functions include water safety, vessel seaworthiness surveys and safety licensing. Artisanal boat owners are expected to meet basic safety requirements at landing sites. The challenge appears to be how these different responsibilities work together in practice. Recent joint initiatives have sought to improve the registration and counting of canoes across different landing sites, but gaps remain in implementation and enforcement.
The difference between The Gambia and neighbouring Senegal is frequently raised by people in the fishing industry. One local fisherman pointed to Senegal’s registration system, saying: “Under Senegalese fisheries legislation, artisanal fishing boats must be registered in official local and national registries.” Senegal has also carried out large-scale registration campaigns involving physical identification plates on thousands of small-scale fishing boats, or pirogues.
The purpose is not simply to give boats numbers. A registration system allows authorities to connect a vessel operating at sea to an identifiable owner, fishing community and official record. That can become particularly important when a boat is involved in an accident, enters a restricted fishing zone or is suspected of illegal activity. For fisheries management, the information can also help authorities estimate fishing effort and understand pressure on fish stocks. Without reliable information about the number and activities of vessels, managing a finite marine resource becomes more difficult.
One of the challenges facing registration efforts is the attitude of some artisanal fishers towards licensing and registration. For some boat owners, registration is viewed primarily as another cost and administrative requirement rather than as a safety measure.
Rohey Samba Jallow, the consultant, for GMA on Communication, has stressed the importance of communication in getting boat owners to understand the purpose of registration and safety compliance. She has also pointed to the strategic importance of the country’s waterways. The sea is not only a source of food and income. It is also part of the country’s national territory and connects The Gambia with neighbouring countries.
Jallow said maritime areas can be vulnerable to cross-border crimes, including illegal fishing, drug trafficking and piracy. GMA Director Mrs Olimatou Danso has also urged boat owners to register their vessels, stressing that registration is intended to improve safety rather than punish fishers. The challenge is therefore not simply creating regulations. It is ensuring that boat owners understand them, comply with them and see a practical benefit from doing so.
For fishing communities, the question of identification is closely connected to what happens when something goes wrong at sea.
Omar Gaye of a local fisheries association argued that registered boats would be easier to trace when an incident occurs.
“If boats have number plates and are registered in the system, any direction they use or any problem at sea, it will be easy to trace and solve those problems. Countries like Senegal mandate plates for all boats; the same system should be introduced in The Gambia to avoid future tragedies,” he said.
The argument is particularly relevant in cases involving collisions between artisanal fishing boats and industrial trawlers. Fishers have repeatedly raised concerns about encounters with larger vessels, saying that such incidents can destroy fishing nets and place lives at risk. A clear identification system could make it easier to establish which vessels were involved in an incident and provide authorities with information for follow-up investigations.
For some fishers, however, registration is only one part of a much larger problem. Modou Sarr, a local fisherman, raised concerns about emergency response capacity at sea. He criticised what he described as limitations affecting fire and rescue services and naval patrols. Fishers have said that during emergencies, responses can be affected by issues including fuel availability and the deployment of naval assets. The concerns raise a broader question: what happens after a boat has been registered if the institutions responsible for responding to emergencies do not have the resources to reach it quickly?
Registration can identify a vessel, but identification alone does not rescue a person in distress. It has to work alongside communication systems, rescue equipment, patrols, trained personnel and reliable emergency services.
Responding to concerns about naval response, Mr Jobe of the Gambian Navy said naval operations follow established procedures and require proper command authorisation. He explained that personnel and vessels must be adequately equipped before operations are undertaken. The sea, he said, presents particular security challenges, including piracy and smuggling. Naval patrols are also expensive, with operational costs associated with fuel, vessels and personnel.
Jobe further explained that naval protocols do not allow officers to board civilian fishing vessels for routine policing activities because of operational and ethical considerations. He said discussions were continuing on how to address the safety concerns raised by fishing communities and improve protection of infrastructure.
For the fishing communities, the debate over registration ultimately comes down to accountability. A numbered and registered boat is easier to identify. An identified boat can be linked to an owner. An owner can be held responsible for meeting safety requirements and complying with fisheries regulations.
For authorities, a functioning registration system can provide information about the number of boats operating in the country and the level of fishing activity taking place. For fishers, it could provide greater protection when accidents occur and make it easier to identify vessels involved in disputes or collisions. But registration also needs to be supported by effective enforcement.
Gaye also raised concerns about the economic structure of the fishing sector, including the fees paid by foreign and national commercial vessels. He argued that the current pricing arrangements do not provide sufficient benefit to The Gambia.
The economic importance of artisanal fishing is significant, with more than 3,000 people depending directly or indirectly on the sector for their livelihoods, according to Gaye. For those communities, the loss of fishing infrastructure or a sustained decline in fishing activity would affect incomes far beyond the fishermen themselves. The boats therefore carry more than fishermen and their catch. They carry livelihoods, food security and an important part of the country’s coastal economy.
The answer lies partly in the division of responsibilities between maritime and fisheries authorities, but also in the difficulties of putting existing regulations into practice. The Gambia already has laws governing fisheries licences and maritime safety. Authorities have also carried out efforts to register and count vessels. What remains a challenge is ensuring that the system is comprehensive, coordinated and consistently enforced.
For fishers who spend their working lives at sea, the issue is not simply whether a boat has a number painted or fixed to its side. It is whether that number can identify the vessel, connect it to an owner, provide authorities with accurate information and help protect the people who depend on the sea.
As the debate continues, the demand from fishing communities is straightforward: a vessel operating in Gambian waters should be identifiable, regulated and supported by a system capable of responding when things go wrong.
