Report links fishmeal production to decline in key species for Guinea-Bissau communities
Populations of sardinella, an important protein-rich fish, are in rapid decline in the waters off Guinea-Bissau in West Africa. The decline appears to be related to industrial fishing for two species of sardinella used to make fishmeal, according to a report by investigative news organization OCCRP. In Guinea-Bissau, fish like the Madeiran sardinella (Sardinella maderensis) […]
A report by the investigative news organization OCCRP has linked the decline of sardinella, a protein-rich fish key to West African communities, to industrial fishing for two specific sardinella species used in fishmeal production. Guinea-Bissau, a West African nation, relies on sardinella for both human consumption and livestock feed.
However, fisheries assessments reveal a significant reduction in sardinella stocks, coinciding with the arrival of Chinese fishmeal factories and Turkish fishing boats off the coast. Josef Skrdlik, co-author of the OCCRP report, suggests that the decline is primarily due to the large-scale fishing operations of these factories, which exported around 350,000 tons of fishmeal between 2013 and 2025.
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