CAMEROON: Pirates and fish stock depletion threaten Cameroon fishermen's lifelihood

Record ID: 452504

  • Title: CAMEROON: Pirates and fish stock depletion threaten Cameroon fishermen's lifelihood
  • Date: 15th May 2009
  • Summary: LONDJI, CAMEROON (RECENT - MAY 3, 2009) (REUTERS) SIGN FOR LONDJI BEACH VARIOUS OF FISHING BOAT COMING INTO SHORE FISHERMEN UNLOADING FISH FROM BOAT INTO A BOWL HELD BY A BOY IN SHALLOW WATER (SOUNDBITE) (French) PIERRE CELESTIN NDOUMBE, PRESIDENT OF THE ASSOCIATION OF YOUNG FISHERMEN OF LONDJI, SAYING: "Yes, we have problems with the lack of security. The pirates' attacks, these happen regularly. The government should do something about this. Sometimes they take everything from us, even our fishing utensils, our boat engines, our fishing boats, the nets and even attack us physically." BOAT SETTING OUT TO SEA FISHERMAN REMOVING NET FROM BOAT (SOUNDBITE) (French) PIERRE CELESTIN NDOUMBE, PRESIDENT OF THE ASSOCIATION OF YOUNG FISHERMEN OF LONDJI, SAYING: "In the low season we don't get much. We can, with a fishing boat, get around 20, 25 or 30 kg of fish, but during the good fishing season we can even have a production between 80, 100 and even 200 kg of fish, it depends on the fisherman." BOATS MOORED ON THE BEACH ( SOUNDBITE) (FRENCH) OLOLINMMUA SEBASTIAN, HEAD OF NIGERIAN COMMUNITY OF LONDJI, SAYING: "I only have a problem with the big fishing boats, when I first came here we were fishing with the small nets. Before, around 1977, there was only one big fishing boat that was fishing here, but now with all the big fishing boats coming, when we fish they disturb us, sometimes our nets get caught. FISHERMEN SEATED IN A MEETING FISHERMAN COUNTING OUT MONEY NOTES FISHERMEN SEATED AT TABLE DURING MEETING KRIBI, CAMEROON (RECENT - MAY 4, 2009) (REUTERS) CAR DRIVING ALONG COASTAL ROAD
  • Embargoed: 30th May 2009 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Cameroon
  • Country: Cameroon
  • Topics: Environment / Natural World,Industry
  • Reuters ID: LVA5SXE8XDO4U8DSWJXNSAJ0LKCS
  • Story Text: Fishermen in Cameroon face a threat to their livlihood from pirate attacks and fish stock depletion caused by the increasing use of large fishing trawlers.
    Most people in the village of Londji, in southern Cameroon, live off the fishing industry practised there for centuries.
    The shores of Londji, situated on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean near the town of Kribi, have been traditionally rich in fish.
    But a combination of recent attacks by pirates and a depletion of fish stocks due to large scale fishing have put the traditional way of life in Londji at risk.
    Nearly 2,000 miles of coast are largely uncontrolled and vulnerable to attack by pirates.
    Pierre Celestin Ndoumbe, President of the Young Fshermen of Londji Association says gunmen attack local fishermen on the high seas. Local fishermen go out to sea twice a week and often sleep in their boats at sea.
    The gunmen seize their nets and fishing equipment and often threaten to kill them. Ndopumbe urges the government to act to protect the fishermen.

    "We have problems with the lack of security. Acts of piracy happen regularly. The government should do something about this. Sometimes they take everything from us, even our fishing utensils, our boat engines, our fishing boats, the nets, and even attack us," Ndoumbe said.
    In the last year heavily armed gunmen in fast launches have been preying on oil installations, oil and fishing boats out at sea and even launching attacks on coastal towns in the Gulf of Guinea, a region that contains the main African source of crude oil exported to the West and China.
    Nigerian waters, bordering Cameroon, ranked second in the world last year after Somalia for incidents of piracy, according to the International Maritime Bureau.
    Many African navies lack the resources to stop increasingly bold attacks in the Gulf of Guinea, to which Cameroon belongs.
    Traditionally local fishing has been practised in small fishing boats with villagers bringing back just enough fish to earn a living through their sales to villagers.

    "In the low season we don't get much. We can, with a fishing boat, get around 20, 25 or 30 kg of fish, but during the good fishing season we can even have a production between 80, 100 and even 200 kg of fish, it depends on the fisherman," Ndoumbe said.
    In recent years there has been an increase in local waters of big fishing boats employing modern techniques to carry out large scale fishing.

    "I only have a problem with the big fishing boats. When I first came here we were fishing with the small nets. Before, around 1977, there was only one big fishing boat that was fishing here, but now with all the big fishing boats coming, when we fish they disturb us, sometimes our nets get caught," Ololinmmua Sebastian, who runs the Nigerian community of Londji, said.
    According to a report published by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation, the canoe fishermen often fish alongside trawlers and shrimpers in the inshore waters of Cameroon.
    Trawling is restricted in the shallow coastal zone. But in cases where these rules are breached local fishermen's gear can be damaged, entailing high costs for the local fishery industry.
    Due to the depletion of fish stocks, local fishermen now say they have to go further and further out to sea to be able to make a catch, leaving them more vulnerable to attacks from pirates.
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