ABSTRACT
Recent geographies of the sea emphasize the vital role that the ocean plays in the organization of societies. Steinberg argues ‘the ocean is not merely a space used by society; it is one component of the space of society’ (2001: 6 original emphasis). In this chapter, we explore the ways in which the sea is a space of society for Senegalese fishing communities, providing the resources essential to their everyday lives. We show how, in recent years, the depletion of marine resources, and competition for access to them, has created power struggles that are transforming traditional Senegalese uses and understandings of oceanic space through changed relationships with the state and increased mobility in order to sustain livelihoods.
