Brussels, 25/09/2001 (Agence Europe) - As we mentioned, the European Commission and Gabon signed a new EU-Gabon fisheries protocol last Thursday for a three-year period, from 3 December 2001. This agreement, that currently enables French, Spanish and Portuguese vessels only to catch migrating fish (essentially tuna), offers vessels, (especially Spanish) new fishing possibilities for shrimps and cephalopods, without reducing the volume authorised for tuna catches. The new protocol, in force until 2 December 2005, provides for an increase in the Union's financial contribution from 675,000 euro to 1,262,500 euro a year. The share of these funds allocated to measures having as goal to contribute to setting up a viable fishing industry in Gabon (aid to scientific research, the monitoring of fishing activities, training and health inspection of fish products) will move from 6% to 70%.
The current protocol allows 75 European tuna vessels to fish in Gabonese waters: 42 freeze tuna seiners, of which 22 Spanish and 20 French and 33 surface longliners (28 Spanish and 5 Portuguese). The new protocol slightly reduces this number to 64, according to the following key-distribution: 38 tuna seiners (18 Spanish and 20 French) and 26 surface longliners (20 Spanish and 6 Portuguese). The number of vessels authorised to fish tuna has been educed, whereas, at the same time, the volume of tuna catches authorised will go from 9,000 tonnes to 10,500 tonnes a year. New fishing possibilities will be offered to vessels fishing shrimps and cephalopods, but the allocation of fishing possibilities per country has not yet been decided. According to a Community source, it is especially the Spanish that put in a request. To limits the fishing efforts of trawlers, provision has been made for an authorised tonnage amounting to 1,200 GRT (Gross Registered Tonnes) a month, calculated on an annual basis.
The financial contribution paid by ship-owners fishing under the terms of the agreement will increase by 100 euro (2,500 euro to 2,600 euro) for tuna seiners, and for surface longliners, which currently pay between 800 and 1,100 euro, the contribution will be set at 1,100 euro for all of them. The owners of the trawlers which target shrimps and cephalopods will pay 168 per GRT per year. The two parties also agreed to alter the provisions on technical measures so as to guarantee the conservation of fish stocks in the Gabonese waters.