Brussels, 01/12/2005 (Agence Europe) - The EU and Gabon have initialled a new six-year Fisheries Partnership Agreement for tuna fishing. The new agreement, which is to take effect on 2 December, replaces and amends the current protocol which expired on 1 December 2005. It is the most significant tuna fishing agreement ever signed with a third country. The new protocol provides for tuna fishing opportunities for 40 Community vessels (24 tuna seiners from France and Spain) and 16 bottom longliners (under Spanish and Portugal flag) to hold fishing rights for 11,000 tonnes of tuna annually. The current protocol provided for 40% more EU vessels for 10,500 tonnes of tuna. Under the new agreement, the EU annual financial contribution will be EUR 860,000 (of which 60% will support the Gabon national fishing policy), compared to EUR 1.26 million in the last protocol. The EU financial contribution has been reviewed downward as the new agreement abolishes licenses granted to trawlers (mainly Spanish) for catching shrimps and cephalopods. The licenses were at any rate not used by European vessels. The contribution from the owners of fishing vessels has been increased from 25 to 35 euros per tonne of tuna caught, whereas the European Union's contribution falls from 75 to 65 euros/tonne.