Taking advantage of his stay in Guinea for the needs of the 9th PRCM Forum, the Mundus maris delegate immersed himself in the artisanal fishing port of Boulbinet in Conakry. The objective was to make an improvised mini-report on the dynamism of this sector, its great socio-economic and cultural importance. But it was also to gather opinions from interlocutors relating to what they consider as new challenges they face due to globalisation.
The interviewees were fishers and women dependent on this sector from various angles. This successful field trip would not have been possible without the assistance of Mr Faneyawa Soumah, charismatic leader and national coordinator of Guinea artisanal fishing landing docks.
1. Intensive daily activities: Illustration of the economic, social and cultural importance of the artisanal fisheries
Like the context prevailing in almost all the countries of the sub-region, Boulbinet is swarming with people twenty-four hours a day, every day. Both in the port itself and in its adjacent areas, there is intense economic activity in both the formal and informal sectors:
- Ice-making factories, a commodity that has become indispensible for fishermen forced to prolong their fishing trips;
- Small shops where fishermen can find new or second hand equipment and rigging;
- Women micro-vendors of fresh fish installed in the market built on the site;
- Points of sale of foodstuffs;
- Women specialised in fish smoking including barracuda, machoiron and flat sardinella;
- Various trades such as mechanics for outboard motors, carpenters;
- Outdoor restaurants;
- Other small businesses: hairdressers, thrift stores.
The intensity of these activities within the landing site as well as throughout its periphery easily demonstrates the importance of artisanal fisheries from the social and economic points of view. The same is true in other countries of the subregion.
