These people are known as the “Imraguen”, a Berber word which means “fishermen” or “people who fish while walking on the sea.” They are believed to have descended from the Bafour people. The Imraguen are an ethnic group or tribe of Mauritania and Western Sahara.
The Imraguen or Imeraguen are an ethnic group or tribe of Mauritania and Western Sahara. They were estimated at around 5,000 individuals in the 1970s. Most members of the group live in fishing villages in the Banc d’Arguin National Park, located on the Atlantic coast of Mauritania. The Imraguen are believed to descend from the Bafour people According to the Documentation of the human population of the territory, the Imraguen people lived in the Banc d’Arguin National Park for thousands of years, and its population had probably been larger.
A few generations ago, the Imraguen people used to whistle the dolphins to bring them near the shore and catch all the mullets that always followed the dolphins. The Imraguen people are the only ones allowed to fish in the Banc d’Arguin area, as long as they use their traditional fishing techniques. The number of fishes caught for each species is limited and strongly reinforced by the Mauritanian authorities. In 2004, the Imraguen people agreed to preserve the shark and ray species in the Banc d’Arguin National Park (which became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1989) and traded their nets for money.
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The Imraguen people blame the new oil and gas explorations around the Banc d’Arguin area, along with a new road next to the area, as the major factors for the reduction of fish reproduction in the area. Traditionally, the men deal with the fishing of mullet and shade-fish in the shallow waters of the park whilst the women produce roe, tishtar (small pieces of dried and crumbled mullet), and mullet oil, passing on this knowledge and techniques to their children, the report added.
With wooden sailboats or just wading into the shallows and flinging their nets, the men have maintained their traditional fishing methods, including working with dolphins to catch more fish. They document it that a few generations ago, the Imraguen used to whistle the dolphins to bring them near the shore and catch all the mullets that always followed the dolphins. In recent years, this cooperation between the Imraguen and the dolphins and other traditional fishing methods seems to die due to threats from immigrant and industrial fishing activities.
Also, competition and the high demand for shark and ray fins compelled some Imraguen to shun their traditional practices and move towards motorized shark hunting? In the late 1990s, shark fins were in greater demand, especially in the Asian market. Believed to give strength and vigor to men, reports said a kilo could cost $500. With concerns from conservationists and NGOs in the early 2000s, the Imraguen agreed to hand over their nets in return for cash to preserve the shark and ray species in the Park.
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