Fishermen, trawlers and new local committees in Douala-Edea ^{CEFR B2}

Douala-Edea National Park spans over 2,630 hectares of coastal land and sea. Local fishing communities in Mbiako, Yoyo I and Yoyo II report repeated attacks from industrial trawlers known as "Sapak" or Chinese trawlers. According to community accounts, illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing in the park relies on illicit chemicals such as gamaline 20, oversized dense nets and very small mesh. These practices damage mangroves, reduce breeding grounds and lower fish stocks, threatening local livelihoods.

Fishermen describe violent encounters: crews pursue small boats with guns, cut nets with the catch and shoot if people chase them to recover gear. Three fishermen were shot last year. Patrick Ngoye said his nets were destroyed five times this year and he remains indebted after replacing them. Market women report that husbands borrow to buy new kits that trawlers often destroy.

Communities reported incidents to the Ministry of Livestock, Fisheries and Animal Industries via an official called "Doctor Fish" and to the regional office in Douala; officials requested GPS data and other proof when photos were sent. An Environmental Justice Foundation report warns that small-mesh nets capture juvenile fish and reduce future populations. In 2023 the European Commission issued a red card under the EU IUU Regulation, blocking Cameroonian fisheries products from entering the EU.

Policy steps aim to involve communities in protected-area management. Under the Programme for the Sustainable Management of Natural Resources, South West Region (PSMNR-SWR), the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife published a 2024 guidebook on involving local communities, funded by German Cooperation. The EJF supported the creation of Local Collaborative Management Committees (LCMCs). Committees installed on August 19 in Mbiako and Yoyo have ten members — two Cameroonians, two Nigerians, two Ghanaians, two women, chiefs and youths — elected for a five-year mandate renewable once. The LCMCs will mobilize communities, collect grievances about illegal exploitation and help patrol protected-area boundaries while authorities consider further measures.