The coastal city of Limbe, located in Cameroon’s Southwest Region, has about 85000 people who are engaged in different livelihood activities. Major economic activities center around farming, fishing, and small informal businesses. There are also several government offices with employees recruited and paid by the government, including an office of the Ministry of Fisheries.

In Cameroon, fish is a major source of protein for most of the population, and marine capture fishing accounts for 83% of fish production (Nkemngu, 2021). Fish accounts for about 40% of the protein intake of animal origin and 9.5% of total protein requirements in the country (FAO, 2024). In 2019, the fisheries sector contributed 3% of the country’s  US$39 billion gross domestic product (GDP). In Limbe, coastal small-scale fishing activities provide a unique identity for the city and its people. There are about 5000 people engaged in fisheries-related activities in the community, most of them living below the poverty line due to the distortion of the local small-scale fisheries (Suh et al., 2023). In fact, Limbe is one of the four main small-scale fishing landing sites in Cameroon, including Kribi, Mabanda, and Youpwe (Suh et al., 2023). The fish value chain is dominated by migrants from neighboring Nigeria, Ghana, Togo, and Benin who have lived and settled in Limbe for several generations. Although born and raised in Limbe, most migrants still have attachments to their country of origin through culture, visits, and investments (Njock & Westlund, 2010). Fish harvesting is done mostly by men, while women dominate fish processing and fish trade. 

There are several challenges impacting the livelihoods of fish actors in Limbe, such as the drastic reduction in fish catch volumes due to overfishing and the unfolding impacts of climate change (Nyiawung et al., 2023). Most notably, there has been growing conflict between marginalized small-scale fish actors and foreign industrial vessels (Beseng, 2021). Small-scale fish actors are gradually being squeezed out of the waters due to the expanding activities of industrial fishing fleets. This situation is exacerbated by the perceived preferential treatment these industrial operations receive from the Cameroonian military and government.

But how did we get here? Fisheries in Cameroon are open to residents, meaning locals have direct access to harvest fish from the sea, and many coastal communities have depended on small-scale fisheries for decades. In an effort to generate revenue, the Cameroonian government began granting access to foreign industrial fishing fleets through various financial arrangements in the early 2000s (Belhabib et al., 2015). This policy shift has led to a dramatic increase in the presence of foreign industrial trawlers originating from Chinese and other Asian countries operating in territorial waters and nearshore areas off Limbe and other coastal communities, all with authorization from the government. Industrial trawlers in Cameroon are further emboldened to conduct unsustainable and illegal fishing practices without punishment because they bribe their way through government circles (Nkemngu, 2021). This situation has come at a cost to the local small-scale fishers. 

Cameroon’s fishery management system has struggled to effectively regulate the expanded foreign fleet, resulting in a surge of IUU fishing activities (Beseng, 2021), leading to resource depletion and conflicts between industrial and artisanal fishing sectors (Njock & Westlund, 2010). Despite the clear challenges faced by small-scale fishers, the government has been slow to implement policies that protect these vulnerable actors. As a result, local fishing communities find themselves increasingly marginalized, struggling to compete with the industrial fleets for diminishing resources (Belhabib et al., 2015). 

The issues in Limbe that have created conflicts between industrial and small-scale fishers include problems related to insufficient, ineffective, and unenforced zoning. Preferential access zones for small-scale fishers extend only three nautical miles from the coastline, which is considered inadequate compared to other countries like Ghana, where such zones are a bit more extensive at about six nautical miles (Ayilu et al., 2023). Industrial fleets are constantly entering into traditional fishing zones of small-scale fisheries, harvesting small juveniles and destroying the fishery ecosystem. Also, industrial vessels damage the fishing gears of local fish actors, and there are no official channels for compensation or sanctioning due to poor governance. With the use of rudimentary fishing tools, local fish actors cannot compete with these industrial fleets, putting local fishery-related livelihoods at severe risk. In fact, fish catch volumes have drastically reduced due to industrial overfishing activities (Nkemngu, 2021). A 66 year-old fisher in Limbe made the following assertion:

“… we are all scared there might be no fish here in Limbe in the future. The rate at which the industrial vessels are harvesting both big and small fish is serious. We have reported the matter several times to the government, but nothing has been done. We now have to spend longer time at sea just to get small fish to meet the cost and food for the family”

Finally, their transgressions into areas reserved for small-scale fishers go unpunished – they are operating with impunity as they wreak havoc on small-scale fisheries.

Direct confrontations between local fishers and industrial fleets have become frequent in Limbe, which have sometimes resulted in threats, attacks, and loss of life for small-scale fishers, a similar phenomenon which has been highlighted by the co-author of this article also in Ghana’s waters (Ayilu et al., 2023). To mitigate such issues, the government has rather provided military support to these foreign vessels to ensure their protection and safe operations to the further detriment of local interests and rights. 

“… the Cameroon military men in those industrial boats freely open fire at any small boat they see approaching them. We have lost many of our fishers here in Limbe, who just wanted to know why their fishing nets were damaged or carried away by these industrial trawlers. Some of our husbands have been arrested and locked up in jail. They will arrest you, seize your boat and nets, and then lock you up. In fact, we have had to go to the prison on several occasions to bail them out” (43-year-old fishmonger Limbe).

Marginalization and injustices against small-scale fish actors are  common in most coastal communities in West and Central Africa (Ayilu et al., 2023). The pressure to generate revenue for the state through access agreements to foreign fleets constantly puts small-scale fishers at the losing end of the bargain in Cameroon. Operators of foreign industrial trawler fleets have more power and protection for their operations in Cameroon waters than local fishers. They are operating with impunity – protected by government officials and the military – all while threatening and detaining local fishers, and there is also active destruction of fishing gear of local actors by the trawlers (One India, 2024). 

However, the ability of the local actors to organize and protest to defend the environment or rights is heavily restricted and punished by the Cameroonian government. Small-scale fishers fear being arrested by security officials if they dare raise their voices to speak publicly against the unsustainable fishing techniques used by foreign industrial trawlers(Nkemngu, 2021). In Cameroon, many civil society actors and human rights defenders have limited legal options or avenues to defend themselves (Amnesty International, 2022). As small-scale fisheries in Limbe are dominated by migrants, their willingness to protest against the activities of these industrial fleets is limited further due to the risk it entails for their continuous economic activity in the country. So, while there is opposition to industrial fisheries among small-scale fisheries, there has been limited active social organization and mobilizations. On limited occasions, fishers mobilize as a group to voice their concerns to the regional government fisheries department to seek intervention and solutions to their struggles. These efforts are done besides expressing grievances to local officials during government engagements and voicing concerns to NGOs, development organizations, media, and researchers with the hope that their concerns will reach higher-level government officials. The government’s approach to the issue has been characterized not only by a persistent lack of response but also by a consistent denial of corruption allegations and the ongoing provision of military protection for foreign trawler fishing vessels despite the mounting evidence (Nkemngu, 2021). 

In conclusion, there are many issues of oppression and struggles for small-scale fish actors in Cameroon, exacerbated by poor governance issues in the fisheries sector (Nyiawung et al., 2023). With considerable interest by the government in generating revenue rather than supporting small-scale fisheries livelihoods and communities, opportunities for protest and fighting for human rights are restricted. However, the government and the industrial fisheries have a responsibility to change course. They must protect fisheries and the rights of small-scale fishers, provide opportunities for small-scale fishers to voice their legitimate concerns and participate in fisheries management, and allow political organizing and peaceful protest in the face of mounting threats from industrial fisheries. There is a need for dialogue and understanding between government and small-scale fish actors, with support from civil society and advocacy groups, to restore peace and order in the waters of Limbe.