Congo Republic 2021 – Al Jazeera, LifeGate, Afrique XXI
With the rise of industrial fishing off the Congolese coast, artisanal fishing crews have increasingly focused on shark fishing to make a living.
Shark fishing is not new, reportedly shark fishing crews went out on narrow, canoe-like pirogues as far back as the 1980s but the phenomenon has increased steadily in the past two decades, and activists warn the practice is becoming unsustainable.
Other factors have driven this boom, including the construction of offshore oil infrastructure that has reduced the areas where artisanal crews can fish just as more industrial fishing meant greater competition.
And the continuing demand for shark fins in parts of Asia makes shark fishing lucrative.
The artisanal shark fishers go far out to sea, throwing nets overboard just before sunset and drawing the sharks in with bait and blood during the night.
On most days, hundreds of sharks are dumped along the beach of Songolo in the fishing district of Pointe-Noire, where they are sold on the spot. Many are hammerhead, bigeye thresher, silky, and mako sharks – all endangered species.
