Every day, Gora Fall, a fisherman in Senegal's northern city of Saint-Louis, heads to sea with a mix of emotions: hope and frustration.
He hopes he will get a better catch than the previous day, yet he is frustrated by the thought that whatever he finds might not meet his needs.
Before, we worked to live, but now we just work to survive, says the 25-year-old.
Like him, many other small-scale, traditional fishermen in Saint-Louis – a major fishing hub – are facing hard times.
The BBC has spoken to several fishermen and people linked to the fishing trade who all point to one cause – a liquefied natural gas platform that sits on the maritime border between Senegal and Mauritania, off the coast of Saint-Louis.
The Greater Tortue Ahmeyim (GTA) gas project is operated by the British multinational oil and gas giant BP as part of a joint venture with Kosmos Energy, as well as Petrosen and SMH, the national oil companies of Senegal and Mauritania respectively.
BP, which has a 56% working interest in the project, began its operation in Senegal in 2017 after the discovery of natural gas two years earlier.
Described as one of the deepest and most complex gas development schemes in Africa, the first phase of the multi-billion dollar offshore project is expected to produce roughly 2.3 million tonnes of liquefied natural gas per year for over 20 years.
However, residents of Saint-Louis say this also comes with restrictions on fishing which 90% of the city's population of over 250,000 rely on for a livelihood.
On a Tuesday morning, with weather conditions declared favourable, Mr. Fall readies his wooden canoe painted with vibrant colors, setting off for the day's fishing trip.
Approaching the giant gas facility, he says he cannot get any closer due to a 500m exclusion zone which restricts fishing.
The authorities forbid fishing in that area under penalty of confiscation or destruction of fishing equipment if accessed, leaving fishermen feeling extraordinarily vulnerable.
With competition for fish from large international trawlers further complicating their plight, these fishermen are expressing deep frustration as their nets come back empty.
BP insists that safety zones are standard practices aimed at protecting both people and assets and contends that concerns about fishing stocks existed even before the project began.
Meanwhile, documented evidence reveals hundreds of jobs in the fishing sector are at risk due to dwindling fish populations, pushing individuals to seek alternative employment outside of fishing, even in carpentry or migration.
This situation urges local leaders and companies like BP to find a balance that would allow both the gas project and fishing to coexist. Fishing accounts for thousands of jobs in Senegal and remains a vital part of the local economy.
As Mr. Fall puts it, We only have the sea to live on, emphasizing the critical connection between the community and its maritime resources amidst this ongoing crisis.
