Rule it out

We're running out of fish

Ngome, 7, lives by the sea in Dakar, in Senegal. His mum works for a fish-salting co-operative, where everybody works together and shares the money they make. They buy fish, dry them on the beach, salt and then sell them. At first, the co-operative had to borrow money from Christian Aid, but their business has grown, and now they sell salted fish to Mali, the Gambia and the Ivory Coast, as well as in Senegal.

But recently, big trawler ships from Europe have been fishing the seas around Senegal. This means there aren't many fish left for Ngome's mum and her friends at the co-operative to buy, and they're expensive, because everybody wants them. If Ngome's mum can't earn any money from selling fish, he and his brothers and sisters will go hungry.

What do YOU think?


Should trade rules be changed to protect poor people like Ngome's family? Or should they protect big companies that can hurt Ngome's family?

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Nicky Nicholls

'My mum needs to sell enough fish to pay for our food and clothes,' says Ngome