25/08/2006 (Agence Europe) - OCEANA, an association to protect the world's oceans, explains in a press release that 'the continued detention of fishing vessels under Spanish and other EU flags by Norwegian patrols in North-East Atlantic waters highlight the weakness of fishing regulations to take on the offenders'. OCEANA cites a number of incidents. In 2006, the fishing vessels Arosa 9, Arose 12 and Arosa 15 were detained by Norwegian patrol vessels and accused of illegal fishing, as were Garoya Segundo and the Monte Meixueiro and the Lithuanian-flagged but Spanish-funded vessel Lootus. In 2004, the vessels Olaberri and Olalazar were also detained. To avoid a repetition of such incidents, OCEANA calls for a monitoring system to be put into place at sea within the framework of the EU and the NEAFC (North-East Atlantic Fishing Convention) via an agreement with Norway. Such an agreement could enable inspectors of both countries to jointly control vessels fishing in the North-East Atlantic, as was don in the North West Atlantic zone between the EU and Canada.