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Despite its legal prohibition since 1998, the nylon monofilament net is still widely used in Senegalese artisanal fisheries. To achieve a complete ban on monofilament use, it is necessary to understand the main arguments for its continued use and what alternatives exist. Using a field experiment among local fishers as well as empirical knowledge and a literature review, this article highlights the challenges to the eradication of nylon monofilament. Our study shows that in a context where decision-makers pay too much attention to social, economic and political stakes, the efficiency of nylon monofilament nets confers a major advantage upon which fishers rely, and this counters any regulatory action against this type of gear. Moreover, numerous studies globally have indicated that communication campaigns that focus on the ghost-fishing power of this type of net seem to be inappropriate. We concluded that the issue of continued use of monofilament should be addressed through an integrated fisheries management programme that reduces overcapacity and fosters sustainable fishing practices. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This work investigates the effects of changes in both fishing pressure and the environment on the trophic dynamics, abundance and diversity of species in the artisanal commercial fisheries off the northern coast of Senegal. Using artisanal commercial fishing data (provided by the Centre for Oceanographic Research of Dakar-Thiaroye [CRODT] in Senegal), we identify changes in the catch per unit effort, mean trophic level, biomass trophic spectrum and species diversity between two fishing periods (1990–1999 and 2000–2009). Decreases in mean trophic level, the biomass of high trophic level species and indices of species diversity between 1990 and 2009 were observed in commercial catches. These decreases were then related to changes in fishing pressure, fishing strategy and the combined effects of fishing and environmental factors (as derived from satellite observations). This paper helps to better inform the management of fisheries resources by providing decision makers with more effective biological indicators that incorporate the effects of fishing pressure and environmental change and that are applicable at local, regional and global scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]