Fishers in Cameroon claim they are being pushed out of business by giant Chinese trawlers overfishing in their waters under Cameroonian flags without following regulations. DW's Blaise Eyong reports from Limbe on the coast in southwest Cameroon.
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NewsTranscript
00:00Etim Akan has been out fishing since the middle of the night, but his net is still empty after
00:09seven hours at sea.
00:11Artisanal fishermen in the region say their catches are getting smaller and smaller.
00:19It's very difficult to catch even a single fish nowadays.
00:23Just look at the boat.
00:24It's empty.
00:27There's nothing here for us.
00:29Look at all I've had for today.
00:31It's very little and it will hardly fetch me any money.
00:38These local fishermen are struggling as foreign vessels have flooded the ocean.
00:43They say there's an unhealthy competition underway just off Cameroon's shores.
00:51It's the Chinese, the Chinese vessels and other vessels that have come around here fishing
00:55massively including for prawns.
00:58They fish constantly without stopping to allow the fish to reproduce.
01:05Back on the seashore, people rush to buy the catch, but most of the boats have come back
01:11almost empty.
01:15A Kongolo Robert has just returned from the ocean.
01:18He's been a fisherman for 35 years, but recently business has been slower than ever.
01:25He blames unregulated fishing for the decline.
01:30The government tells us which sorts of nets to use for fishing, but the foreigners don't
01:35follow the guidelines.
01:37They use the wrong nets, which kills even the smallest fish, and that affects the reproduction
01:43of fish in the ocean.
01:45We complained about this to the government, but the government doesn't take proper action.
01:51When we complain, the foreigners go to meet the authorities and hand them money.
01:56Our complaints are pushed aside.
01:58Those are the problems we're dealing with.
02:01Last year, the European Union Commission imposed a ban on imports of fishery products caught
02:06in Cameroon waters or by vessels registered here, citing the country's lack of cooperation
02:13in the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.
02:18It doesn't seem as though much has changed.
02:23Cameroon loses more than $30 million annually from illegal maritime fishing.
02:29The country imports around $160 million worth of fish each year.
02:36Many fish traders report being put out of business due to scarcity of fish.
02:42Chinese trawlers continue to fish in areas reserved for small-scale fishermen.
02:49It happens all the time.
02:53When the Chinese see you at sea, and they want to seize your net and other equipment,
02:57and you decide to confront them, the army protecting them shows up with guns.
03:01The soldiers will start shooting at you, so you've just got to get away from them as quickly
03:06as possible.
03:07Because if a fisherman is killed, no one will be held accountable.
03:11It's a loss for the fisherman's family.
03:13So attacks at sea are very common, and if you speak about it to the authorities, nothing
03:17happens.
03:18The Chinese act as if they own Cameroon's waters.
03:24The most senior government official in charge of fisheries in this region denies all the
03:28claims made by the fishermen.
03:31He says some artisanal fishes and foreign boats have been found in violation of government
03:35regulations.
03:37Control is being done at all levels in order to combat this IUU fishing.
03:46Yes, Cameroon is on the red zone, but gradually I think we are fighting to leave from the
03:52red zone, maybe to the yellow, and not the green zone, because presently, as we speak,
04:03there's control in the sea.
04:05As I told you, we do spot surveillance.
04:09We don't let them know when we are entering the sea.
04:12Etiem is back from the ocean, but with not enough fish.
04:20Like other artisanal fishermen in the region, he doesn't have much hope for the foreseeable
04:25future if things stay like this.
04:35For more UN videos visit www.un.org