An individual-based computer model was developed which formalises the responses of the Senegalese artisanal fishery to changes in its environment. The problem of a fishery s response to change is first considered at a global system level. There, adaptive processes are defined as the major determinant of the fishery s response to change. Our key result is that at a global level, a given change can produce unexpected effects as well as expected effects or no effect at all. In the first simulation example, the increase of communities aversion to risk produced a large modification of the system s dynamics, whereas a drastic lowering of the yield of Sardinella spp.
Sensitivity analysis seems necessary, therefore, to better understand the results.
In a second simulation, an increase of fish consumption led to an increase of traders earnings, but this monetary effect did not propagate all the way towards the fishers. The fish trade rs interviewed at the Kayar landing place felt satisfied with the new situation, whereas the fishers were negatively affected by the change. The problem was finally partly solved by the fishers syndicate , which ruled on the prices. From the processes represented in the model, it appeared that the agents possibilities are too restricted to fully explore their environment. Indeed, given a fisher community that can get information about two possible tactics, if a drastic change occurs in the environment that greatly affect both of the tactics, the community will not have the means to adapt.