Mbaye A. auteur aut IRD Cormier Salem Marie-Christine auteur aut IRD Schmidt J.O. auteur aut IRD Brehmer Patrice auteur aut IRD text journalArticle eng text/pdf reformatted digital access In the context of climate change, which accentuates the growing scarcity of fishery resources, young fishermen are exploring increasingly remote fishing grounds with the immediate consequence of numerous cases of accidents and disappearances at sea and many human and material losses. Faced with this situation of looking for solutions to prevent accidents, the traditional knowledge of West African fishermen was examined. Semi-structured interviews and focus group meetings with fishermen aged 50 years or older were used to explore ways of understanding and predicting changes in the marine environment. It shows that experienced fishermen can apprehend the sea state, the occurrence of wind or precipitation, or orient themselves and understand the nature of fishing grounds and species through the stars, swell, waves, water table, animals, trees, clouds, sky colour, dugout, fish. The understanding, interpretation and, subsequently, the meaning they develop from their observations are based on empirical knowledge that can be tested and confirmed in other parts of the world. In this sense, the ways in which fishermen understand changes in the marine environment can be considered universal knowledge. Such knowledge, when properly transcribed, can be useful for conventional marine research and the prevention of accidents at sea, especially for the new generation of fishermen who rely solely on new technologies. specialized SENEGAL FLEUVE SENEGAL VALLEE 040 021 106 4 1 100231 [8 ] 2021 2590-2911 https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010086567 10.1016/j.ssaho.2021.100231 2590-2911 [F B010086567] https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010086567 https://horizon.documentation.ird.fr/exl-doc/pleins_textes/2023-06/010086567.pdf IRD - Base Horizon / Pleins textes 2022-11-17 2025-11-04 fdi:010086567 fre