Cameroon is located on the west coast of the wet forested Equatorial Africa. It is bordered on the west by Nigeria and the Gulf of Guinea; on the east by Chad and Central African Republic; and on the south by Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and the Republic of Congo. Cameroon has a shape of a triangle, the apex of which is on Lake Chad, about 1400 km from the southern border with Gabon. Cameroon lies between 9° 30'E and 16°00'E and extends from 2° N to 12° 30'N. Its coastline is about 360 km in length.
The hydrography and the marine fisheries are influenced by several rivers, e.g., the Wouri which waters Douala, the Sanaga River; the Nyong River; and the Ntem River in the extreme south of Cameroon. The rainfall pattern also influences river discharge and the shrimp and finfish fisheries. Rainfall is variable and substantial along the Atlantic coast. Debunscha near Limbe has an ann ual average of 12.47 m (possibly the heaviest rainfall in Africa). Tiko, located between Douala and Limbe, on the Bimbia River has an average annual rainfall of 2.42 m. The annual rainfall for Douala is 3.78 m whereas Kribi on the estuary of Kienke River has an annual rainfall of 3.29 m.
The marine fisheries are divided into two major sectors:
The artisanal fishery operating in the creeks, estuaries and shallow inshore waters within a depth of 25 m and above the thermocline, an area dominated by “white fish” (mostly Clupeidae and Carangidae).
The industrial fishery (trawlers/shrimpers) supposedly exploiting the deeper waters beyond the 25 m depth contour, that is beyond the thermocline, an area dominated by red fish (mostly demersal fish) but where some white fish also extend.
Cameroonian fisheries have undergone considerable development during the last two decades (1960–80). The industrial sector has undergone relatively more development than the artisanal sector which is still operating at a subsistence level. The fishery manager is now concerned with appropriate fishing innovations and exploitation of “new” untapped resources, possibly off the slope. It is not clear if greater fishing intensity will result in a significant increase in catch of those dominant species presently exploited by artisanal and industrial “fleets”. Attention should be focused on control and adjustment of fishing effort.
It is noted that fair progress has been made in the collection of fishery statistics, but there are still a lot of information gaps on landings by artisanal fishing boats, as well as on by-catch of shrimpers and finfish trawlers. There is a need to update the inventory of all types of canoes, number of fishermen, fishing gears and landing sites along the entire coast of Cameroon. Additionally, it is necessary to revise the inventory of all industrial fishing vessels, indicating nationality of vessel, type of boat, horsepower, overall length, Gross Registered Tonnage (GRT) as well as fishing gear characteristics and fishing grounds.
Catch data on the artisanal fisheries are not yet adequate; but on the basis of the work of SCET - International (1980), the total artisanal annual catch is estimated to be 55 000 t of which bonga/Sardinella, white shrimp and demersal fish contribute 58%, 27% and 15% respectively.
The industrial fleet expanded rapidly during the sixties and by 1973 there were 29 trawlers and 13 shrimpers which landed a total of about 17 600 t of fish and shrimp. The total catch of the industrial fisheries peaked at about 20 400 t in 1976 and since then catches have generally declined.
Given present-day fishing activities in Cameroonian waters, it is vital to determine the magnitudes of available fishery resources and their potential yields compared to present levels of harvest in order to be able to ascertain the long-lasting economic benefits that can accrue from various fishery development activities and management policies. This study thus focuses on the magnitudes of the demersal and pelagic stocks, assesses the species composition of exploitable stocks, compares the productivity and catch rates of artisanal and industrial fisheries, and also describes the interaction between various fisheries.
