Artisanal fishers in the Republic of Congo are increasingly turning to shark fishing because of increased scarcity of other stocks, which are being overfished by industrial fisheries. With just 169km of shoreline, the Congo Exclusive Economic Zone has to cope with an active fleet of more than 110 industrial vessels and close to 700 artisanal boats. TRAFFIC research officer Constant Momballa Mbun has co-authored a study that concluded that urgent legislative and management improvements are needed to prevent a collapse of shark fishing and protect local livelihoods. In this interview, Constant shares his insight. 

Oceanographic Magazine (OM): When did you first connect with the nature?

Constant Momballa Mbun (CMM): My childhood connection in the late 1970s with nature and wildlife was paradoxical in the remote village of Wum in the North West Region of Cameroon where wildlife (especially monkeys, rodents, and birds) was a serious threat to distant farms in the fertile forest, but also hunted for bushmeat by the local community. In those days, most hunters used artisanal traps made with natural forest resources such as lianas and sticks. Later, through work supported by the Swiss Association for International Cooperation (HELVETAS) I was introduced to many aspects of nature conservation and participatory management of natural resources and natural landscapes of value such as watersheds and community forests.

OM: How did you come to be in this line of work with TRAFFIC?

CMM: Studying and monitoring wildlife trade that affect Africa’s wild species and ecosystems is the focus of the TRAFFIC-implemented ReTTA project I work on. Therefore, my core activity is to monitor trends, watch out for new threats and engage research and government stakeholders to better understand trends and check trade threats to Africa’s wildlife and ecosystems. In 2017, in my scoping studies on different species that are illegally and/or unsustainably traded to Asia, I came across information suggesting that onboard shark finning was being practiced in the Congo clandestinely by Chinese trawlers. This was a red flag that called for immediate action, even though sharks and rays were not priority species for our work in the subregion. When I did a brief scoping study and presented the scale of the trade in Pointe-Noire, the need for a rapid shark assessment study was evident to both my project lead and office director, who not only authorised the study, but actually encouraged and facilitated the study.

OM: Why do you find monitoring and assessing the realities of the illegal wildlife trade particularly interesting?

CMM: This work we do in TRAFFIC is particularly interesting because it always has a sense of urgency and importance against the threats to the most vulnerable species and ecosystems in the Congo Basin. The challenges are so huge. I have the impression every action that is not taken could have dire consequences. It really leaves me with a feeling of usefulness that I have hardly ever felt got any other work.