The only ice factory on Bubaque, an island in Guinea-Bissau in West Africa, is out of service. Local fishers like Pedro Luis Pereira must now get ice from factories on the mainland, about 70 kilometers away—a six-hour round trip by boat.
“The machines have been broken for months,” Pereira says as he pulls in his nets on the shore of the island, which lies within the protected Bijagós archipelago. “We’ve alerted the Ministry of Fisheries, but so far, no one has come to fix them.”
Wooden canoes are the only fishing boats allowed among the 88 islands of the archipelago. Its shallow waters are a rich breeding ground for silver flat sardinella. Racing against the tropical heat, Pereira sells the fresh fish for 250 CFA francs (£0.33) per kilo at the market in Bissau, the capital of this small West African republic.
The tides determine when fishers can navigate the archipelago’s shallow waters. Its sandbars serve as a nursery for countless species, leading some scientists to call it “the Galápagos of West Africa” due to its populations of endangered turtles and manatees. This ecological importance is why the area has been designated as protected, permitting only small-scale fishing.
Like Pereira, many creatures in this region depend on sardinella, a small oily fish. It is a vital food source for migratory birds like terns, which winter in the Bijagós by the tens of thousands, as well as for barracudas, jacks, and whales and dolphins farther out to sea.
But the schools of this pelagic fish attract another, more voracious predator: industrial boats fishing at the boundary of the marine protected area, which they are theoretically barred from entering.
Among the vessels operating here in 2025 was the Hua Xin 17. At 125 meters, it is longer than a football field. Maritime databases list it as a cargo ship, but a new investigation by the Guardian and DeSmog reveals that the Chinese-owned vessel is actually a floating factory that processes fresh sardinella into fishmeal and oil by the tonne.
Eyewitness accounts, exclusive video footage, and satellite records indicate that a group of Turkish boats supplying the Hua Xin 17 appear to have routinely fished sardinella illegally inside the Bijagós.
The factory is one of two ships anchored offshore that have illicitly processed up to hundreds of thousands of tonnes of freshly caught sardinella into fishmeal and oil. Analysis of trade data by the Guardian and DeSmog shows this fishmeal is entering international supply chains.
Aliou Ba, an oceans campaigner at Greenpeace, says the Bijagós archipelago is one of West Africa’s most ecologically significant marine areas—and one of the last relatively intact coastal ecosystems on the continent.
“Any illegal fishing within its marine protected area is not only a violation of Guinean law but a direct threat to biodiversity, and to local communities’ food and livelihoods,” he says.
Disabling the Detection System
A relatively new arrival to these waters, the Hua Xin 17 was anchored for a total of 157 days in 2025 about 50 kilometers off the coast of Orango island, famous for its rare saltwater hippos.
Its discovery by the Guardian provides fresh evidence of the expansion in Guinea-Bissau of offshore processing factories, which handle hundreds of tonnes of fresh fish daily.
Another offshore fishmeal factory, the Tian Yi He 6, spent 244 days moored at sea in 2025, emitting black smoke about 60 kilometers from Orango island.
The Tian Yi He 6 has been operating as a fishmeal factory near the Bijagós for more than five years and has a history of violating Guinea-Bissau’s laws.
Footage shows the Chinese vessel…Hua Xin 17 receiving fish from a Turkish fishing vessel
Trygg Mat Tracking (TMT), a Norwegian non-profit fisheries intelligence organization collaborating with Guinea-Bissau’s fisheries inspection authority, Fiscap, has been monitoring fishmeal vessels since 2019. That year, the Tian Yi He 6 arrived, initially sailing under the flag of Dominica before switching to China in early 2020.
TMT’s intelligence reports, supported by analysis from the fisheries intelligence group Joint Analytical Cell, show ongoing violations of Guinea-Bissau’s fisheries and transshipment laws. Between 2019 and 2020, the owner and captain of the Tian Yi He 6 and the owner of a small seiner, the Ilhan Yilmaz 3, were fined for unauthorized fishmeal and oil processing and for illegal transshipments—transferring fish from one boat to another. Seine fishing involves using long, deep nets to catch large quantities of fish, maximizing the haul.
According to satellite records from Global Fishing Watch (GFW), a nonprofit that monitors fishing activity, a group of six Turkish seiners—including the Ilhan Yilmaz 3—appear to be supplying two factory vessels at sea.
These Turkish purse seiners are licensed to fish within Guinea-Bissau’s exclusive economic zone, an area extending 200 miles (322 km) from the coastline where fishing is permitted with a government license. The Hua Xin 17 and the Tian Yi He 6 operate in this zone. However, they are not authorized to transship at sea here or to fish inside the protected Bijagós waters.
Evidence suggests the Tian Yi He 6 has regularly engaged in illegal transshipment of fishmeal sacks.
Satellite data from GFW strongly indicates that the Turkish boats supplying the offshore factories are fishing illegally inside the protected area. According to GFW records, as vessels like the Turk Yilmaz, Ilker Yilmaz, Ilhan Yilmaz 1, and Ilhan Yilmaz 3 approach the edges of the restricted Bijagós area, they routinely disable their Automatic Identification System (AIS) signals. These signals broadcast GPS data and vessel identity, and turning them off has historically been linked to illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing—activities that break national or international laws.
The AIS signals for these boats, all linked to the same company, briefly reappear near the two fishmeal factories and again near the port of Bissau, or during trips to and from the port at Nouadhibou in Mauritania, a major hub for the fishmeal industry.
The apparent transshipment of fish from these seiners to the floating factory usually occurs with AIS systems turned off. This practice could allow thousands of tonnes of illegally harvested fish to be exported without passing through Bissau’s ports.
“When foreign distant-water fleets operate outside the law, depleting these fish stocks for animal feed instead of feeding people in West Africa, the consequences hit small-scale fishers and coastal communities hardest—they have no alternatives,” says Ba.
‘They only gave us rice to eat’
The records of the boats’ movements and activities are corroborated by testimony from a crew member. A local sailor, Antonio*, spent seven months aboard the Hua Xin 17 in 2024. He reports that 25 crew members worked in six-hour shifts processing sardinella on the ship.
He says a smaller boat transported sacks of fishmeal to Bissau port and brought back supplies. Antonio also alleges that workers were left isolated at sea off the coast of Guinea-Bissau, a country with a poor record of upholding seafarers’ rights.
Antonio describes harsh conditions for the Guinean crew, claiming they were mistreated by Chinese managers on board. “They don’t see us as equal to them,” he told the Guardian at a café in Bissau port.”They only gave us rice to eat—just rice for breakfast, lunch, and dinner,” he says. The Chinese staff had their own food and separate rooms, while Guineans slept ten to a cabin in bunk beds.
Antonio has shared secretly recorded video footage with the Guardian, showing tons of fresh sardinella moving along an assembly line after being caught at sea.
The video, backed by GPS records from Global Fishing Watch, indicates that tons of pelagic fish are being processed on board. It appears to capture two Turkish boats illegally transferring fish at sea.
The scale of these offshore fish processing operations is a double blow to food security and income in Guinea-Bissau, one of the world’s poorest countries. According to the Coalition For Fair Fisheries Arrangements (CFFA), fish provide a third of the animal protein consumed there, and the informal fishing industry employs 225,000 people out of a population of 2.2 million.
“The fishmeal industry is expanding in a context where small pelagic fish are already overexploited and illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing is widespread,” says Béatrice Gorez from CFFA, which supports artisanal fishers in West Africa. “This threatens artisanal fishers, women fish processors, and food security across the entire region.”
The omega-3 fatty acids in low-cost sardinella and other pelagic fish are irreplaceable in local diets, especially in a country where 22% of people are malnourished.
“Sardinella is not just a commercial commodity; it is a critical source of protein for millions of people across West Africa,” says Ba, who campaigns against the fishmeal industry at Greenpeace.
The expansion of fishmeal operations at sea in Guinea-Bissau comes after its northern neighbors—Mauritania, Senegal, and the Gambia—have tried to limit the industry’s growth on land. The industry has grown rapidly in the region over the last decade.
According to biologist Paulo Catry, who has studied aquatic life in the Bijagós for nearly 30 years, overfishing driven by the industry further north may be pushing boats toward Guinea-Bissau.
“This species is naturally much more abundant along the coasts of Mauritania and Senegal due to upwelling, which doesn’t affect Guinea-Bissau,” he explains. “Since it hasn’t been exploited as heavily here as in the northern countries, it now appears to be more abundant in Guinea-Bissau.”
Evidence obtained by the Guardian and DeSmog suggests that the floating factory Tian Yi He 6 has regularly and illegally transferred sacks of fishmeal onto cargo vessels. These vessels then travel to ports in Bissau and Dakar, Senegal, carrying one-ton bags.
The Guardian and DeSmog used trade data to trace the onward journey of this fishmeal. Exports from Tian Yi He 6 were sent to companies in South America. The Chinese company Bissau Wang Sheng (BWS) sold fish oil produced on Tian Yi He 6 to brokers in Chile, the world’s second-largest salmon producer. Additionally, shipments totaling 440 tonnes, valued at $1.7 million, were sold in 2023 to Gisis SA, a company in Ecuador that produces shrimp feed as part of Skretting, the aquaculture feed division of the Dutch firm Nutreco.
“Fishmeal and fish oil can enter the EU market without documentation on the species or its origin,” says Vera Coelho, executive director at the nonprofit Oceana in Europe. “This should not be allowed.”
A source at Skretting confirmed that Gisis SA made a purchase from Guinea-Bissau in 2023 but stated they were unable to “verify the accuracy of the claims and whether the fish was caught legally.”In a statement to the Guardian and DeSmog, the company said, “At the time, the documentation from our trader stated the material complied with all local regulations. We also confirm there are no other cases from this origin in our global operations.”
Skretting, a producer of shrimp feed, says it has launched an internal investigation into the findings. “Ensuring responsible and legal sourcing is fundamental to how we operate,” the company stated. It emphasized a “zero-tolerance policy” toward illegal, unreported, or unregulated (IUU) fishing or any activities that violate fisheries or conservation laws, adding it is “committed to acting on any findings and taking corrective and legal measures where necessary.”
A Landmark Ban
The government of Guinea-Bissau did not respond to repeated requests for comment. However, following a coup in November, the new authorities took significant action in late January. The Minister of Fisheries and Maritime Economy, Virginia Maria da Cruz Godinho Pires Correia, announced a comprehensive ban on fishmeal and fish oil production both at sea and on land, and suspended licenses for purse-seine fishing of small pelagic fish.
The government was reportedly under pressure from Senegal and the European Union, which has a sustainable fisheries partnership agreement with Guinea-Bissau that prohibits fishing for small pelagics to protect food security. The Guardian understands that evidence of IUU fishing from its investigation was used to advocate for this action.
This landmark move by Guinea-Bissau—going further than its neighbors—is seen as a turning point by Oceana, Greenpeace, and TMT. Papa Cá, president of the Guinean Platform of Non-State Actors in Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture, has also welcomed the ban.
However, enforcement remains a challenge, according to Dyhia Belhabib of Ecotrust Canada. “I don’t think a ban will make them disappear,” she says. “At this point, Guinea-Bissau does not have the capacity to enforce control at sea.”
Back on Bubaque Island, Cá notes that the ice machine is still broken. He says local fishers need investment in areas like cold storage to help get fresh fish to market before it spoils. “Only then can this fishmeal ban become a real opportunity to improve community incomes and promote food security in the country,” he adds.
All companies mentioned in this story were contacted for comment.
*Name has been changed to protect identity.
Additional reporting by Regina Lam, Brigitte Wear, and Hazel Healy. This story was produced in partnership with the Pulitzer Center’s Ocean Reporting Network.
Frequently Asked Questions
Of course Here is a list of FAQs about the industrial fishing crisis in the Galápagos of West Africa designed to answer questions from basic to more advanced
Basic Understanding
1 What is the Galápagos of West Africa
Its a nickname for the waters off the coast of West Africa particularly around countries like Senegal Mauritania and The Gambia These waters are incredibly rich in marine life hosting unique species and vital fish stocks much like the famous Galápagos Islands
2 Why is this area so important
Its a crucial breeding and feeding ground for many fish species It supports the livelihoods and food security for millions of people in coastal West African communities who depend on local smallscale fishing
3 What does stripped bare mean in this context
It means the fish populations are being severely depleted or overfished at an unsustainable rate leaving the ocean ecosystem empty and unable to recover naturally
4 Who is doing the industrial fishing
Large often foreignowned fishing fleets from Europe Asia and Russia These include massive trawlers and refrigerated cargo ships that can catch and process thousands of tons of fish
Causes and Impacts
5 Why are these foreign fleets fishing there
Because fish stocks in their own waters have declined and West African waters are still relatively rich Weak enforcement of laws and corruption in some West African nations make it easier for them to operate sometimes illegally
6 How does this affect local fishermen
Local fishermen in small boats cant compete with industrial trawlers They catch less and less threatening their income and way of life This leads to poverty and can force people to undertake dangerous migration journeys
7 Whats the environmental impact
Industrial fishing often uses destructive methods like bottom trawling which destroys seabed habitats It also leads to bycatch the accidental killing of dolphins turtles and juvenile fish disrupting the entire ocean food web
8 Is any of this fishing illegal
Yes a significant portion is IUU fishing This includes fishing without a license catching protected species underreporting catches and fishing in zones reserved for local communities
Solutions and Actions
