Factories: There are three Fish Meal factories in The Gambia that produce fish meal (powder) and fish oil, mainly for export to China, Vietnam, Turkey and Chile. They are:
- JXYG Aquatic Products Limited established in Kartong village in 2016.
- Golden Lead Import and Export Trade Company Limited established in Gunjur village in 2014
- Nessim Fishing and Fish Processing Company Limited established in Sanyang village in 2016
The fish products provide food for livestock, including pigs in China, Vietnam and a number of other countries. These factories are supported by the Gambia government in the form of tax breaks. Below we provide facts about the operations of Fish Meal Factories in The Gambia:
How many tons of fish makes a ton of fish meal
- At least 4 to 5 tons of fish is used to make 1 ton of fish meal
Quantity of fish meal export from Gambia
- Gambia exported 1,346 tons of fish oil and 4, 441 tons of fish meal from 2014 to 2021.
- On average, an estimated 30, 000 tons of fish was involved in the production of fish meal and fish oil by factories in Gambia from 2014 to 2021.
Raw material
- The main raw materials used in fish meal production in Gambia are consumption-grade round and flat sardinella and bonga fish.
- The suppliers of fish are mainly Senegalese fishermen.
Tax
- All the three fish meal and fish oil factories in the Gambia are on special investment certificate which exempt them from paying tax.
Who owns the factories
- Nessim is owned by Mauritanian nationals
- Golden Lead is owned by Chinese nationals
- JXYG is 92% Chinese owned and 8% Mauritanian owned
Liquid waste into the sea
- All factories discharge liquid waste into the sea with the approval of the National Environment Agency (NEA).
- The factories used a pre-treatment process call sedimentation, a three-tier tank that separate solid from liquid before discharge into the sea.
- Test by the NEA in 2016, in Mauritania and activists in Gunjur have found liquid waste from the factories unsafe for marine life.
- There are concerns over inappropriate dumping of solid waste and sludge from factories.
- The NEA said factories do not generate solid waste and sludge that could be problematic to the environment.
Impact of fish meal production on fish stock
- Studies by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations in 2018 and 2022 have linked production of fish meal and fish oil factories to the overexploitation of small pelagics in Gambia.
- The activists and fish consumers point to visible signs of fish shortage in markets caused by overconsumption fueled by production of fish meal and fish oil factories.
