Brussels, 26/06/2006 (Agence Europe) - The EU and Madagascar have signed a new bilateral fisheries agreement, which will replace the current protocol due to expire at the end of the year. This new fisheries agreement, exclusively covering tuna, will last six years and provides fishing possibilities for 88 vessels, compared with 80 currently: 44 (from France, Spain and Italy) and 44 long-liners (Spanish, French and Portuguese). The annual EU financial contribution is €990,000, with €715,000 of this being compensation for a reference amount of 11,000 tonnes of tuna catches per year. Community vessels will have to pay a contribution of €35 per tonne (€10 more than at present), representing a further €385,000. The government of Madagascar has agreed to dedicate 80% of the total EU financial contribution (€1.375 million annually) to the development of the country's fisheries. The EU and the government of Madagascar have undertaken to set up a regional action plan to combat illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing before the end of the year.
The current three-year protocol from 1st January 2004 to 31 December 2006) provides for fishing rights for 40 tuna seiners (16 French vessels, 22 Spanish and 2 Italian) and 40 long-liners (24 Spanish vessels, 10 French and 6 Portuguese). The financial contribution is €825,000 per year for a reference amount of 11,000 tonnes of tuna catches.