Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Skimmer. The seasonal visit of Open-billed Stork coincides
with the bivalve extraction activities in the dry season
where the birds share in the harvest.
several people suffered acute gastro-intestinal problems
after ingestion, and some were even hospitalized. As else-
where, teeth of sperm whales are eagerly collected as ivory.
The potential utilization of cetacean carcasses as bait in
long-line fisheries, mainly for shark, as reported from
Ghana (Ofori-Danson et al.
2003
; Debrah et al.
2010
), was
rarely mentioned by interviewees in Cameroon, and perhaps
this practice is indeed uncommon. However, no overhasty
conclusions can be drawn as such (illegal) uses, if they
occur, are typically shrouded in silence and very hard to
ascertain.
• Direct takes
One of us (Ayissi) surveyed Japoma and Mbongo (Lit-
toral Region) from 1 to 4 June 2011. Reports from locals
indicated that a group of about 12 dolphins were spotted in
the Dibamba River with rising tide, near Japoma (N4.0365,
E 9.8196) and Mbongo (N4.4620, E8.9840) in May
2010. Dolphin sightings were suggested to be unusual in the
Dibamba River. A few days later one dolphin was found
stranded among mangrove roots and was killed by Nigerian
fishermen. When additional dolphins became stranded, they
suffered the same fate. The village chief mentioned (pers.-
comm. to Ayissi, I. 2 June 2011) that two dolphins were
butchered in his presence and the meat was distributed
among the villagers for personal consumption. The species
of dolphin has not yet been identified but T. truncatus is
considered possible. Some skeletal material that was col-
lected awaits examination.
We recognize the danger in the possible repetition of a
global trend documented in a number of developing nations
in South America, Africa and Southeast Asia (e.g. Clapham
and Van Waerebeek
2007
). The consumption of cetacean
products initiated with the opportunistic but regular utiliza-
tion of by-catches can give rise to a larger market demand and
ultimately may turn commercial, leading to directed takes of
mainly delphinids, especially in situations where important
fish stocks are depleted following over-exploitation. The
relatively low prices cited by two fishers as typically paid per
dolphin suggest the current local market for dolphins is still
immature. However, as seen in Ghana, this market can be
developed in few years.
• Over-fishing
Both humans and marine mammals act as top marine
predators and inevitably compete for fish resources. The
coasts of Cameroon are characterized by intense fishing
effort (Folack and Njifondjou
1995
; Ayissi
2008
). Besides
nationals, thousands of fishermen from Nigeria, being long-
term residents, were found to operate from Cameroon, as
well as smaller numbers from Togo, Benin and Ghana. A
wide variety of fishing arts are practiced by the small-scale
fishers, including drift and set gillnets long-lines, purse-
seine nets and beach seines. Both multifilament and
monofilament nets are widely used, depending on target
Current and Potential Threats
Sea Turtles
In spite of existing laws and conservation policy on these
threatened species, sea turtles are facing several threats such
as human predation for local consumption, meat and eggs,
selling of carapaces to tourists and gathering of fat for
medicinal uses.
The evaluation of impacts of by-catch on sea turtles
revealed around 1,241 individuals per year for 13 leather-
back and others were green, hawksbill and olive species
(Ayissi
2008
). Turtle meat is common in the feeding habits
of coastal people in Cameroon, but the majority of their
catch is not intentional. However, in certain cases, those
reptiles are caught intentionally as in Sandje where results
include 400 individuals per year by traditional fishermen.
• Cetacean by-catches
Nigerian and Ghanaian fishermen occupy a dominant
niche among many fisher communities in Cameroon, and
customs transfer such as fishing and processing techniques
and diet habits, including the consumption of cetacean
products, should be expected. Although interviewees fre-
quently denied the occurrence of cetacean by-catches at first,
apparently because they feared it was illegal, when the issue
was revisited after reinforcing trust with the interviewer, most
fishers finally admitted that cetacean by-catches occur with
some regularity. Fresh carcasses obtained from such catches
and from strandings are utilized in the villages, primarily as
food item. Such use of ''marine bush meat'' is in line with
findings for several coastal nations in western Africa, e.g.
Ghana, Togo, Nigeria and Guinea (e.g. Clapham and Van
Waerebeek
2007
; Bamy et al.
2010
; Uwagbae and Van
Waerebeek
2010
; Debrah et al.
2010
; Segniagbeto et al.
in
preparation
; Jeff et al.
2010
). While there is a lack of material
evidence, this can be explained. In other regions where
cetacean carcasses are utilized by fishermen (e.g. in Peru),
significant quantities of cetacean remains are retrieved from
beaches, especially around fishing ports and landing sites. In
Ghana, bones of cetaceans are cleaved with machetes and sold
attached to the meat. The smoking process of such chunks
burns and destroys the bony structures, and little or no rec-
ognizable skeletal parts remain after consumption (Debrah
et al.
2010
), explaining the scarcity of skeletal specimens.
Dolphin meat is consumed freshly cooked or smoked.
Stranded or by-caught whales are also flensed and eaten.
One case of a sperm whale stranded in Kribi was widely
remembered by independent sources who indicated that
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