Cameroonian fishery products banned in EU, commission says

LAGOS, Nigeria — The European Commission on Thursday banned imports of seafood caught in Cameroon’s waters, or caught by ships flagged there, and it labeled the West African country as “non-cooperating” in the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. The commission gave Cameroon a so-called “red card” and said EU member states would turn away seafood shipments from Cameroon even when it has catch certificates validated by the national authorities. Cameroon is one of four non-EU countries that are currently on the commission’s “red card” list, alongside St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Comoros and Cambodia. The European Commission said illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing is “one of the most serious threats to the sustainable exploitation of living aquatic resources.” “We have zero tolerance for IUU fishing and therefore the Commission has acted strongly today by giving Cameroon a red card,” said the European Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, Virginijus Sinkevičius A spokesperson for Cameroon’s Ministry of Livestock, Fisheries and Animal Industries could not be reached for comment Thursday.