Brussels, 01/10/2012 (Agence Europe) - During its meeting on 24-26 September, the joint committee for the partnership agreement on fishing between the EU and Madagascar ratified measures to manage the fishing activities of the longline fleet (industrial tuna fishing).
Madagascar and the EU - two contracting parties of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) - commit to accord greater importance to implementing effectively all the resolutions of this regional fishing organisation, particularly concerning the management of incidental catches of species of shark by longline vessels. The regular deployment of observers aboard longliners will mean that detailed and good quality statistics will be available. The statistics will then be given to the scientific committee of the IOTC.
In application of the precautionary principle of resource management in the waters of Madagascar, fishing is now forbidden of two families and five species of the most vulnerable shark.
In addition, following the recommendations of the scientific committee of the IOTC, the level of catches of other sharks linked to tuna fishing will remain at a level (200 tonnes) below the average of the historical data for catches over the last five years for the European Union fleet.
The joint committee's objective was also to programme the financial resources allocated by the European Union to Madagascar with the aim of supporting the priorities of its policy of development of the fishing sector. The allocated amount of €550,000 per year will in particular be allocated to strengthening monitoring activities and the deployment of observers aboard fleets authorised to fish in the waters of Madagascar.
The partnership agreement in the fishing sector concluded between the EU and Madagascar covers the period of 1 January 2007 to 31 December 2012. It provides for a financial contribution of €1,197,000, of which 80% is to support Madagascar's fishing policy. The fishing agreement authorises Community vessels coming mainly from Spain, Portugal, Italy and France to fish in the waters of Madagascar. It is part of the network of agreements on tuna fishing covering the Indian Ocean. (LC/transl.fl)