BISSAU, Guinea-Bissau — This small West African nation, whose mangrove-fringed coastal waters and expansive estuaries are important spawning grounds for fish species that migrate along the West African coast, long appeared to have little do with fish meal production, an activity that was booming in other parts of the region. Yet, even though satellite imagery showed no recognisable fish meal plants, fish meal of Guinea-Bissau origin was being advertised for sale online. Then, on Jan. 29, the country’s transitional government, installed in the aftermath of the November 2025 coup, issued an all-out ban on fish meal production with immediate effect, saying that “the production of fish meal and fish oil has been proliferating in the country.” Interviews with officials, operators involved in the sector and drone imagery, combined with the analysis of marine traffic data, show that fish meal was being produced in Guinea Bissau. Most of it was not on land but at sea. The extent of the operations’ legality remains unclear, but records seen by Mongabay show that vessels operating the offshore factories were licensed by the ministry of fisheries and as of 2025, at least one of them was authorized to produce fish meal. According to data from Global Fishing Watch, a U.S.-based NGO that publicly tracks fishing activity, the 147 meters (482 feet) long vessel Tian Yi He 6 entered Guinea-Bissau’s waters in October 2019 and was followed by Hua Xin 17, a 125 m (410 ft) long vessel, in May 2024. Tian Yi He 6…This article was originally published on Mongabay

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