
EJF Welcomes the EU's Warning to Cameroon: Crack Down on Illegal Fishing
We welcome The European
Commission's decision to formally warn the Republic of Cameroon that
it must do more to tackle illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing
(IUU) or face being denied future access to EU markets.
We have previously identified the Republic of Cameroon as offering a
‘flag of convenience’ to fishing vessels operating
illegally.
IUU fishing risks pushing ocean ecosystems towards
total collapse, with devastating consequences for the marine
environment and the many millions of people around the world who
depend on it for food and income.
‘Flags
of convenience’ – when vessel owners choose a flag which entails
minimal
monitoring and enforcement
– facilitate
illegal fishing by making it hard to identify and take action against
boat owners.
On 17 February 2021 the European Commission
issued a “yellow card” – a
formal warning that can lead to import bans to the EU – to
the Central African country and urged it to do more to stop illegal
fishing. If the government of Cameroon cannot work along with the EU
to solve all issues of concern this could be followed by a “red
card” involving a full ban.
Executive Director of EJF Steve
Trent says: “We
very much welcome the European Commission's decision to warn and
initiate a formal dialogue with Cameroon. We had already identified
Cameroon as offering a ‘flag of convenience’ in our 2020 report
Off
the Hook, showing that operators used the flag to operate under the radar and facilitate illegal fishing. These practices undermine any attempts to manage fisheries sustainably and push populations to collapse, threatening food security and livelihoods in many regions.
“Hopefully
this action by the European Commission will help the Cameroonian
authorities nip this problem in the bud - before too much damage is
done to global marine ecosystems. The carding system is a powerful
tool against flags of convenience and has helped several, such as
Togo, reform dramatically.”
In recent years more and more
vessels have been adopting the Cameroonian flag due to lax government
control. Over a third of the vessels now sailing under this flag have
adopted it only recently, in the last two to three years ,
despite having no obvious link with the country. Cameroon's fishing
capacity is about nine times larger than it was before 2018 (in
registered gross tonnage).
The widespread use of so-called
“flags of convenience” by fishing vessels makes it harder to
identify the real beneficiaries from illegal fishing and take action
against them.
Steve Trent says: “Sustained
commitment to progress is needed from all countries if we are to
succeed in ending illegal fishing and once again the European Union
is leading the world in this commitment.
“The
EU carding system, part of the IUU
fishing Regulation, has been second-to-none in achieving reform
of the world’s fisheries and protection of the oceans. This action
by the European Commission is active demonstration of their
outstanding global leadership in combatting illegal fishing.”
But
the decision also emphasises the need for coordinated action by all
countries whose flag is being used as a tool to facilitate illegal
fishing.
For example, The
Vega–
a
gigantic fish factory ship which entered the Cameroonian registry in
2019 – was already mentioned in the European Commission's decision
to sanction Saint Vincent and the Grenadines back in 2017. At that
point it was operating under the name Gotland,
and had previously failed to cooperate with Senegal authorities and
settle its outstanding fines after it was observed fishing illegally
in Senegalese waters. Through re-flagging, fishing vessels play a cat
and mouse game and are able to take shelter. Flags of convenience are
central to their ability to continue these offenses with
impunity.
Steve Trent says: “Countries
must come together and adopt measures designed to deter other states
from freely offering flags of convenience, along with methods to
ensure that these flags are not used by their own citizens.
“These
include issuing deterrent sanctions against nationals when they
engage or profit from illegal fishing, even when they are operating
under a foreign flag; and requesting information on beneficial
ownership upon registration of vessels.”
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