For years, fishermen in French Guiana, a French territory in South America, have been complaining about illegal coastal fishing. The culprits are wooden boats - called "tapouilles" - that come from Brazil, Suriname and Guyana to take advantage of the rich fish stocks in French waters. Although the problem has been around for a long time, Guyanese fishermen believe that the survival of their industry is now under threat.
We spoke to Sylvian Marie Saibou, a fisherman who has been documenting these illegal fishing boats in order to call on authorities for help.
I publish videos like this to alert the authorities to the pillaging of fish that goes on in French waters. Each time I go out, I come across at least 20 boats fishing illegally. The most I ever counted in one day was 43. They use nets that have a fine mesh. That means they catch everything, even fish that are just three centimetres long. It destroys the fish population.
These fine mesh nets catch even more than just fish. Sea turtles can get caught up in the material, which can kill them. Leatherback sea turtles come to Guianese beaches to lay their eggs, but their numbers have fallen by 95% over the past 20 years.
We contacted fishing associations in the Republic of Guyana and Suriname, all of which said they were not behind the illegal overfishing of Guianese waters.
Fishermen in French Guiana are calling on authorities to increase patrols to catch illegal fishing boats and heighten penalties for those who are caught.
