Trawlers are remaining silent in the face of the ravages of illegal fishing in the Gulf of Guinea region, but not small-scale fishermen. The latter are pointing an accusing finger at industrial fishing. Trawlers are said to be primarily responsible for a phenomenon that threatens marine biodiversity and the food security of coastal communities. And yet the international community seems to have moved on to the repressive phase, with Cameroon in particular serving as an example to other countries in the region. With an annual loss of revenue of just over 33 million dollars caused by illegal fishing, the Central African country was shown the red card by the European Commission on 5 January 2023, and given the status of "non-cooperating country in the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU fishing)".