Brussels, 22/02/2013 (Agence Europe) - At a joint committee meeting in Paris on Wednesday 20 February, the European Commission and the Mauritanian authorities agreed to convene, as a matter of urgency, a Joint Scientific Committee with the aim of updating the status of all fish stocks in the waters of Mauritania, including cephalopods (octopus and squid). Readers may recall that the new fishing agreement between the EU and Mauritania, which does not have Spanish support because it excludes EU vessels fishing for cephalopods, has been applied temporarily. It was approved by the Council at the end of 2012. The European Parliament has the power to approve or reject this agreement.
According to a press release issued by Maria Damanaki, the Commissioner for Fisheries, the EU/Mauritania Joint Scientific Committee will also examine other technical measures for various fisheries. The European Commission takes the view that the technical conditions of the agreement have been improved with the aim of making the Protocol more economically viable, including the increase of by-catch for the shrimps category and the extension of the southern pelagic zone. Moreover, a number of clarifications were introduced and agreed upon on various issues, aiming to ensure more efficient fishing operations.
The Commission welcomes the fact that good progress has been made without deviating from the main principles of the Protocol, such as sustainability and the respect the scientific advice. This outcome will definitely have a positive impact on the future implementation of the Protocol, according to Damanaki's services. (LC/transl.fl)