Judges’ Award 2026 Bronze Longform Over £5Million
Abdou and his father are separated by 1,500 km of ocean – a distance Abdou travelled in November 2020. He left Joal-Fadiouth, a fishing town in Senegal, and eventually reached Tenerife, a Spanish island off the coast of Morocco, after spending approximately fourteen days at sea in a wooden fishing boat. This route, increasingly used by people in West Africa to reach Europe, is considered one of the most deadly on Earth. In 2023, an estimated 3,000 people departing from Senegal alone lost their lives attempting the same perilous journey.
Fishing runs deep in Abdou’s family. His father, uncle, siblings, cousins, and extended relatives have all worked in Senegal’s artisanal fishing sector – a livelihood now under severe threat. Continued poor fisheries management and the expansion of a largely foreign-owned bottom-trawl fleet have depleted fish populations, jeopardising the economic and social fabric of coastal communities like Joal.
For Abdou, his loved ones, and thousands of others along Senegal’s coastline, the fishing they once depended on is no longer an option. With few alternatives, more and more people are being pushed toward life-threatening journeys, seeking opportunities elsewhere. This escalating, intersecting crisis demands urgent attention and action. China, the EU and other foreign states must take responsibility and work alongside the Senegalese government to ensure sustainable, ethical and legal fisheries before more lives and more livelihoods are lost.
“Adrift” builds on The Environmental Justice Foundation's (EJF) extensive work in Senegal. Our new report, “The Deadly Route to Europe” further reveals the impacts of overfishing and illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing in Senegal and how fisheries declines in the country are driving irregular migration to Europe.
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