By Leocadia Bongben
The Cameroon Ministry of Livestock, Fisheries, and Animal Husbandry has published the list of vessels authorized to fly the Cameroon flag in the sea and on the coasts for the second consecutive time.
Four licenses permit the vessels to fly the Cameroonian flag in the high sea, while 35 permits allow coastal fishing for fish and shrimp.
The Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) welcomes the publication of the list of vessels authorized to fish in Cameroon’s waters and under the Cameroonian flag on the high seas in 2024.
“This is a key first step towards a safe, sustainable ocean. This significant improvement in fisheries transparency will have an immediate impact, making progress on Cameroon’s path to sustainable, legal, and ethical fisheries,” an EJF release reads.
This publication of licenses is a priority under the Global Charter for Fisheries Transparency and can be used by the actors involved in participatory surveillance in Cameroon, other governments, businesses, and NGOs to help eradicate illegal fishing from supply chains, EJF adds.
“We encourage the Cameroonian government to take swift action to build on this progress by publishing the list regularly and enshrining it into the country’s legal and regulatory framework. The ongoing revision of the law governing fishing and aquaculture is a timely opportunity to do so,” Steve Trent, CEO and co-founder of the Environmental Justice Foundation, urged.
Going by EJF, legal revisions would further present an opportunity to deal with other much-needed reforms in Cameroonian fisheries.
While hailing the move by Cameroon MiNEPIA, EJF urges the government to revoke the registration of vessels believed to be using Cameroon’s flag as a ‘flag of convenience.’
The Cameroonian flag is currently used as a ‘flag of convenience’ by fishing vessels from other countries, with little scrutiny of their activities. This continues to cast a shadow over Cameroonian efforts to combat illegal fishing in the country, EJF regrets.
“Taking this crucial next step can help bring the twin tragedies linked to illegal fishing—human rights abuses and environmental destruction—to an end, supporting people and our shared natural world.”
EJF reiterates its commitment to continue working with the government to achieve sustainable fishing.