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4h ago

AP Video Reveals Escalating Clashes Off Gambia as Fishermen Target Foreign Trawlers

New reporting documents Gambians caught on both sides after crew quotas rose on foreign vessels.

Artisanal fishermen head out to fish in their boats at dusk from Brufut beach, Gambia, on March 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Grace Ekpu)
Kawsu Leigh, a fisherman who was injured in a seabound arson attack, stands for a portrait at his home in Banjul, Gambia, on March 25, 2025, almost a year after an attack on the foreign-owned vessel Abu Islam where he was working. (AP Photo/Grace Ekpu)
Fisherman Salif Nudure shows some of his unusable nets damaged by trawlers, at Gunjur, Gambia, on March 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Grace Ekpu)
Artisanal fishermen on the shore of Gunjur, Gambia, on March 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Grace Ekpu)

Overview

  • Exclusive footage shows a seabound arson attack on the Egyptian-owned Abu Islam that left Gambian crewman Kawsu Leigh severely burned.
  • Gambia raised the required share of local crew on foreign boats from 20% to at least 30% in the past two years, increasing the number of Gambians working on targeted trawlers.
  • AP reviewed more than 20 confrontation videos since 2023, with local reports citing at least 11 Gambian fishermen killed in clashes over the past 15 years.
  • Enforcement remains uneven as the navy’s 2024 sweep detained eight trawlers, including the Majilac 6, yet vessels soon returned to sea and negotiable fines undercut deterrence.
  • Shrinking fish stocks documented by Amnesty International and rising prices are squeezing livelihoods, with some fishermen reporting trawler encroachment inside nearshore zones and considering migration.