Six fishing vessels have been impounded by authorities in The Gambia, West Africa, for fishing in protected waters since the beginning of October 2020. The country stepped up patrols of its waters at the beginning of October, in order to both prevent unmonitored entrance and exit from the country, as it closed its borders temporarily in order to slow the spread of the Covid-19 Virus, and to prevent vessels using the current lockdown to exploit its waters. The Gambian-registered Super Fly 1 was stopped by the Gambian Navy inside a restricted zone on 6 October, as was the Senegalese-registered Betty on 29 October. On 4 November a combined operation by the Gambian Navy, Gambian Fisheries Department and environmental group Sea Shepherd boarded and impounded three Chinese vessels, the Gorde 106, Gorde 107, and Gorde 108. On 7 November a fourth Chinese Vessel, the Finsi Wang, was boarded and seized by a Gambian Navy team based on board the Sea Shepherd.
The Gambia has a land area of 10 869 km², and 10 500 km² of territorial waters within its Exclusive Economic Zone, making fishing an important economic activity, and Fish a vital staple food for much of the country's population. The country has a coast line 80 km in length, 25 km of which lies within the Gambia River mouth embayment. Commercial fishing vessels are allowed to operate in Gambian waters with the appropriate permits, but a 7 km exclusion zone exists around the country's shores, in which only small vessels using traditional, artisanal, fishing methods are permitted. These are considered to be more selective, and therefore Fish-friendly, and the measures are intended to protect both Fish stocks and the livelihoods of local communities dependent on fishing for their income.
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