Brussels, 09/05/2014 (Agence Europe) - The new fishing agreement between the EU and Senegal, allowing European vessels to fish for species such as tuna for five years, has been described as “disastrous” by local stakeholders and the NGO Greenpeace.
The new agreement, which was concluded on 25 April (see EUROPE 11067), will allow 38 European vessels - Spanish and French in particular - to fish for 14,000 tonnes of tuna a year in Senegalese waters over five years, in return for compensation of €15 million. Two vessels are allowed to fish for hake. Tuna, which is a high-seas species, and hake, a deep-sea species, are not usually caught by the Senegalese small-scale fishermen who do not venture far from the coast. Dakar will also benefit from €50 million to fund research, coastal surveillance, an aid fund for small-scale fishermen hit by disasters, and the recovery of the ecosystems for juvenile species.
“All I am doing is regularising secret agreements between (officials of the) state of Senegal and private (European) shipowners in place since 2006 and which bring Senegal nothing”, the Senegalese minister for fisheries, Haïdar El Ali, told AFP. As head of his association, the Océanium, El Ali is an ecologist of great repute and respect for his defence of the marine environment. Denying any allegations of selling out his country's fish stocks, he said that this agreement had been concluded to “help small-scale fishermen” and to rebuild the Senegalese tuna industry from the landings of European vessels. “Where was Greenpeace when they were catching 15,000 tonnes and paying nothing to the state of Senegal?”, was the Senegalese minister's response to this organisation's criticisms, as it is calling on the government to 'reconsider the terms of the new agreement'.
'What's most worrying is that two bottom trawlers have been included for hake, even though a freezing of fishing effort was recommended' by the Senegalese state in June 2013, said Marie Suzanne Traoré, head of the Oceans campaign in Dakar.
Dakar “has decided to ignore the voices of Senegalese small-scale fishermen who have issued public declarations” laying down conditions, such as their involvement in the negotiations for any new fishing agreement, Greenpeace continued. The Association of Industrial Fishermen of Senegal (Gaipes), one of the sector's largest organisations, has expressed its 'disbelief and indignation, both at the signature process and the content' of the agreement. The EU has defended a “strategic partnership” aiming to regulate the activity of European vessels in Senegal by limiting their access to species for which there is a surplus available and which is not being fished. In addition, the EU feels that this partnership will “make it possible, amongst other things, to increase Senegal's capacity to control and fight illegal fishing” and to “support small-scale fishing”. Fishing is a vital sector of the Senegalese economy. According to official figures, in 2011 it accounted for nearly 12.5% of its export revenue. It provides work for 17% of the active population, or nearly 600,000 people. (LC)