The large fishing boat called the Trondheim pulls in tons of mackerel and sardines as it moves in the Atlantic Ocean from Nigeria to Mauritania. It flies the flag of Cameroon, a West African nation.
The boat, however, has no real connection to Cameroon.
The Trondheim was once called the King Fisher when it sailed under the flag of the Caribbean nation St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Later, it was registered in the former Soviet Union country of Georgia.
In 2019, it changed again to Cameroon.
Reporters with The Associated Press wrote about a system called “flags of convenience.” They found that the Trondheim is one of the many ships that recently had their registration changed to Cameroon. The companies that own the ships change countries often because they are seeking less regulation, or official rules they must follow.
The AP studied 80 ships and their registrations using a service called MarineTraffic. The AP report notes that environmental groups have accused a number of the ships of illegal fishing practices.
The illegal acts include catching too much fish or not being truthful about the kinds of fish caught.
The Associated Press reports that 14 of the ships, including the Trondheim, are owned by companies based in the European Union.
Because it flies Cameroon’s flag, however, the African nation is responsible for overseeing the Trondheim’s activities.
But that is a problem. Last year, a study that appeared in the publication African Security showed long-running corruption in the ministries that oversee Cameroon’s fishing industry.
Also last year, the European Commission issued a warning to Cameroon known as a “yellow card.”
The commission said Cameroon should work harder to stop illegal fishing. If Cameroon does not
make some changes, the commission can issue a “red card” and ban fish caught by the country’s boats from entering European markets.