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CORPUS :

The Multinational Coordination Center (MCC) in Douala hosted on March 20 and 21, 2023, the staff in charge of Monitoring, Control and Surveillance (MCS) of fisheries activities for a capacity building workshop, organized by AMMCO. The objective of this workshop was to train state actors on the use of GFW public data and to support governance measures in the fisheries sector in order to ensure a responsible and sustainable management of fisheries resources through satellite tracking of vessels and capacity building of the staff in charge of MCS.

The 20 participants in this training expressed their satisfaction with the quality of the modules provided and the solutions proposed by the GFW trainers; Mr. Dame MBOUP, West Africa Program Manager and Floriane CARDIEC, Central Africa Consultant. Dr. Guy Iréné Mimbang, Director of Fisheries, Aquaculture and Animal Industries (DPAIH) at MINEPIA, also told us that: << This training allows me to understand that all fishing vessels registered in Cameroon can be monitored thanks to the tool developed by GFW. It will allow us to have a better control of these vessels... >>

An extraordinary surveillance tool

The GFW map is an online tool that facilitates the visualization and analysis of human activity at sea based on vessels. To collect its data, it uses several processes such as AIS (Automatic Identification System), which allows ships to indicate their GPS position locally to avoid collisions. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) and many governments require larger vessels, including many fishing vessels, to use AIS. Every year, more than 300,000 AIS positions are transmitted, also indicating the identity, speed and course of the vessel.

This information is collected by land-based stations and satellites, allowing the tracking of vessel movements to the middle of the ocean. GFW makes these positions available to everyone on its interactive map and for download. Avec une simple connexion internet, l’on a accès aux mouvements de plus de 65 000 navires de pêche commerciale, avec leur nom et leur pavillon, pratiquement en temps réel. La carte montre toute l’activité depuis le 1er janvier 2012 et jusque il y a 72 h. << Before we were content with the reports made by licensed vessels, now we can check the adequacy of these reports with the data available in a few clicks on the GFW map >> says Mr. YEPKA Joseph, Deputy Director of Industrial and Artisanal Fisheries (SDPIA) at MINEPIA.

Towards a lifting of the Red Card

In January 2023 Cameroon received a red card from the European Union due to the inability of the authorities to ensure adequate control of the national fishing fleet, and its laxity in taking sufficient coercive measures to stimulate the cessation and prevention of IUU fishing activities. Since 2021, AMMCO with the support of Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) has accompanied the administrations in charge of marine heritage management in the elaboration of a draft law more respectful of international standards, and also organized this training workshop on new MCS techniques for fishing activities in Cameroon. These are initiatives that will eventually contribute to rid the country's fleet of its gangrene and restore the image of the green, red and yellow flag.