Cameroon's involvement in improving transparency of it's fisheries sector

Illegal Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing poses a persistent problem to many countries, leading to the overexploitation of fishery resources and severe impacts on marine ecosystems. In Cameroon, the lack of transparency exacerbates the impacts of IUU fishing on food security, local livelihoods, and economic stability. 

In February 2021, Cameroon was found notorious for issuing Flag of Convenience (FOC) which led to the issuance of a pre-identification notification “yellow card” by the European Commission (EC). Other loopholes identified included an obsolete legal framework, a weak monitoring and control system, lack of a fishery management plan and insufficient collaboration between administrations. 

This problem prompted the implementation of the project “Stop IUU fishing in Cameroon” by the African Marine Mammal Conservation Organization (AMMCO) in collaboration with the Ministry of Livestock, Fisheries and Animal Industries (MINEPIA) and the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF). The objectives of this project entails revising Cameroon’s fishery legal framework to meet higher transparency standards, reinforcing the capacity to monitor and control fishing activities and elaborating a fishery management plan. 

Following the “yellow card” notification, Cameroon received a sanction “red card” in January 2023 because of its continuous issuance of FOC. Certain results have been achieved by the project partners to remediate the situation. 

To begin with Cameroon’s legal and regulatory framework has been revised to meet international standards. The fishery draft includes principles of international conventions such as the Port State Measure Agreement (PSMA). The country’s fishing license lists have been published on the FAO Global record and on MINEPIA’s website to increase transparency not only at a national level but globally. Journalists have been trained on how to report on IUU fishing and its cumulative impacts with numerous articles published. 

In addition, State actors’ capacity have been built on governance measures and satellite tracking of fishing vessels to enhance public sharing and access to fisheries data. 

More so, advocacy actions have been carried out with high level diplomatic authorities in Cameroon. 

Notwithstanding, the results obtained shall be reinforced through actions such as carrying out advocacy actions for higher fisheries transparency and governance standards as well as the swift adoption and implementation of the draft fishery law. Given that the country does not have a fishery management plan, workshops will be organized with stakeholders involved in fishery management to elaborate one. Actors in charge of MCS of fishing activities will be trained on navigation and safety to foster a robust MCS system. Debates will be organized to better communicate on effective conservation measures. Emphasis will equally be laid on raising awareness on ocean and fisheries issues and continuous creation of synergies with local communities, the government and international organization to foster collaborative efforts for the sustainable management of the fishery sector. 

Enhancing transparency of Cameroon’s fishery sector will lead to a better management and traceability of its fisheries resources, protection of its marine biodiversity and improvement of the livelihoods of coastal communities.