On Monday 2 October, the European Union and the Republic of Kiribati officially signed the new protocol to their partnership agreement in the field of sustainable fisheries, for a period of five years (2023-2028).
The protocol gives the EU fleet operating in the Pacific Ocean access to tuna stocks, an area that provides more than half of the world's tuna catches (see EUROPE 13186/37).
The stocks of the four main species of tuna - skipjack, yellowfin, bigeye and albacore - are considered by scientists to be in good health and are currently exploited sustainably.
Under the new protocol, the EU and shipowners will contribute €18 million over the next five years. Payments are intended to support Kiribati’s sectoral fisheries and maritime policy (€2 million).
For the first time in an EU/Kiribati fisheries protocol, a system based on effort management (fishing days) has been introduced, instead of a system based on catch management (reference tonnage). The new protocol will allow EU purse seiners to fish up to 160 fishing days per year, with shipowners able to purchase additional days only if there is sound scientific evidence that the state of tuna stocks allows fishing activities to be extended. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)