DAKAR: Senegal has rejected requests to license dozens of foreign fishing trawlers, officials said on Tuesday, following an uproar from environmentalists and struggling fishermen in the West African state. Two government officials told AFP that the applications - which were originally submitted in April - had been rejected. News that the government had been considering permits for 54 foreign vessels had triggered a backlash in Senegal, where environmentalists and local fishermen launched a campaign to stop the move. This followed years of tension between local fishermen and factory ships, which are often accused of contributing to severe overfishing in the region.

Senegal's 50,000 fishermen - who mostly take to the Atlantic aboard wooden boats known as "pirogues" - have struggled to adapt to declining stocks. Recently, their revenues have also been hit by the closure of markets to curb coronavirus. Government officials were unable to immediately clarify to AFP the number of permit requests for foreign trawlers that had been rejected. But NGO Greenpeace said in a statement on Monday that the government had rejected permits for 52 foreign vessels.

The process for acquiring fishing permits in Senegal is highly opaque.

Abdou Karim Sall, the president of a Senegalese artisanal fishing association, told AFP that he welcomed the rejection of the permits, but added that he wanted more government transparency. "Nobody knows the number of boats (in Senegalese waters)," he said. "I want to hear the minister speak." Senegal's fisheries ministry was not immediately available for comment.