African Countries Call for China to Stop Illegal Fishing

African Countries Call for China to Stop Illegal Fishing

 

 

YAOUNDE—

Officials from 24 African countries met in Cameroon last month and called for China to stop illegal fishing off the West African coast. In some areas, Chinese fishermen have pushed their local counterparts back to shore, depriving them of their jobs and livelihoods.

Former fisherman Bisso Frederick, 32, now sells sandwiches in the Cameroonian town of Limbe, on the West African coast. He says he and his colleagues were forced to abandon their jobs three years ago.

Bisso says they have lost their jobs to Chinese fishermen who have taken over all fishing areas. He says they are very worried the government of Cameroon has allowed foreigners to do little jobs Cameroonians should have been doing.

In a 2013 study, the international environmental group Greenpeace reported that the number of Chinese fishing boats operating in African waters soared from 13 in 1985 to 462 in 2013.
The report said there were 114 cases of illegal fishing over an eight-year period in the waters off Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, Senegal and Sierra Leone. It said the boats were operating without licenses or in prohibited areas.

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