Senegalese Artisanal Tuna

Fishing in small pirogues (flatbottomed boats) with nets is the traditional way of life and main source of income for 600,000 Senegalese fisherfolk. Fishing generates an estimated 70% of the Senegal government’s annual revenues. The small-scale fishing sector provides 60% of fishing exports and is one of the country’s main sources of foreign exchange earnings. Dakar, the capital city, is an important Atlantic tuna port. There is one cannery operating in Senegal, SNCDS, exporting the majority of its production to Europe.

Fishing is not only a means to earn a living, it is deeply embedded within Senegalese culture. Many coastal villages have long been centred around fishing, with traditional fishing techniques being passed down from generation to generation. However, the livelihoods of thousands of fishermen have been threatened in recent years as Senegal struggles to compete with large-scale international industrial fishing fleets.

Canned skipjack tuna is widely sold, yet there remains a large demand for more distinctive types of tuna; those with an emphasis on gourmet flavours, sustainability, or origin. Yellow fin tuna, which is classified as gourmet, demands a higher retail price than the albacore and skipjack species. There is an opportunity for Senegal to gain more income from traditional fishing and improve the livelihoods of thousands of fishermen.

The average retail price of gourmet yellow fin tuna is more than three times what conventional canned tuna sells for. This higher price rests on a number of factors, including the eco-friendliness, the quality of the tuna, the method of catch, and packaging. Increasingly, consumers are concerned with these issues. These distinctive attributes appeal to established niche and gourmet markets in Europe, where consumers are willing to pay more for their tuna.

Currently, fisherfolk receive less than $1 per kilo of tuna. Exporters/canners are receiving around $4.29 per kilo. Wholesale prices of gourmet tuna in importing countries may reach $20 per kilo and retail is at the equivalent of $40 per kilo.

Senegal has the opportunity to develop a product that is distinct in the final retail market helping the fishing industry to earn more income. An IP strategy could see Senegal realising its potential for positioning tuna exports fully in the premium and gourmet bracket. Senegal’s long traditions and artisanal fishing methods offer an important underpinning for a branding strategy that can appeal to consumers by emphasising the traditional fishing practice which has a much lower impact on fish populations. A gourmet branding strategy could help the country raise its export income from canned yellow fin tuna by 50%, with gains continuing to increase over time as the brand becomes stronger.

Complementary to the IP strategies are actions that improve aspects of physical production. The Senegalese inter-professional artisan fishing-sector organization, CONIPAS, is taking action to strengthen the small-scale fishing sector by improving facilities including quays, preservation and processing plants to foreign hygiene and quality standards.

The Senegalese fishing sector may also be able to increase export income from existing exports by building negotiating strength in the supply chain through IP business techniques and applying these techniques to new products. These two strategies combined could result in total income gains in the order of $40-70m p.a.

Value chain analysis will be available here shortly.

Atuna.com
http://www.atuna.com

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Trade Winds Forum, Dakar, 2006

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http://davesalbacore.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=16_8

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http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/fisheries/index_en.htm

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BBC World News, January 2, 2002

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Helga Josupeit and Camillo Catarci
World Food and Agricultural Organization, Geneva, 2004

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United Nations Comtrade Database, 2005

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David James and Helga Josupeit
World Food and Agricultural Organization, Geneva, 2005

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Helga Josupeit
World Food and Agricultural Organization, Geneva, 2006

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Alex Kirby
BBC World News, April 1, 2002

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Mbaye, Ahmadou Aly and Stephen Golub
Prepared for the Journal of African Economies, Dakar, 2002

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Papa Ndary Niang
World Bank, Washington DC, 2005

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Peter Greenhalgh and Ulrich Kleih
Natural Resources Institute, Greenwich, 2006

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http://www.mbayaq.org/cr/SeafoodWatch.asp

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World Trade Organisation, Geneva, 2002

“Taking Tuna Out of the Can: Retailer’s Roles in Rescuing the World’s Favorite Fish”
GreenPeace, Washington DC, March 2008

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Oceanic Development, Concarneau, 2005

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James Whittington
BBC World News, May 21, 2002

“World Trade Report 2004”
World Trade Organization, Geneva, 2004