Brussels, 04/12/2006 (Agence Europe) - Following the European Parliament's favourable recommendation delivered quickly on 16 November, the EU Council of Ministers, on Thursday 30 November, adopted without discussion the regulation on the new partnership agreement in fisheries signed between the EU and Mauritania (see EUROPE 9308 on EP consultation and 9272 on the detailed draft agreement). The only adjustments made by Member States to the initial proposal concern the share of catches for pelagic species by freezer trawlers (resulting in increases for Germany, the United kingdom, France and Poland, and, therefore, decreases for the others like the Netherlands, Lithuania and Latvia).
The new six-year agreement, which came into effect on 1st August 2006, provides 200 EU vessels with fishing opportunities in Mauritanian waters for tuna, crustaceans (particularly shrimp), hake, cephalopods and other species such as anchovy and sardine.
The fishing possibilities provided for in the first two-year protocol, from 1st August 2006 to 31 July 2008, (this protocol may be renewed twice) are as follows: - fishing vessels specialising in crustaceans other than crawfish and crab): a maximum of 9,440 gross tonnes (GT), with 7,183 GT for Spain, 1,371 GT for Italy and 886 GT for Portugal; - black hake trawlers and bottom longliners: 3,600 GT for Spain; - vessels fishing for demersel species other than black hake with gear other than trawls: 2,324 GT (1,500 GT for Spain, 800 GT for the United Kingdom and 24 GBT for Malta); - pelagic freezer trawlers fishing for demersal species: 750 GT, all for Greece; - cephalopods: a maximum of 18,600 GT for 43 licences (39 licences for Spain and 4 for Italy); - crawfish: a maximum of 300 GT, for Portugal; - crabs: 300 GT for Spain; - freezer tuna seiners: a maximum of 36 licences (20 for France, 15 for Spain and 1 for Malta); - pole-and-line tuna vessels and surface longliners: 31 licences (23 for Spain, 5 for France and 3 for Portugal); - pelagic freezer trawlers: 22 licences for a an annual catch ceiling of 440,000 tonnes (190,000t for the Netherlands, 120,500t for Lithuania, 73,500t for Latvia, 20,000t for Germany, 10,000t for the United Kingdom, 6,000t for Portugal, 10,000t for France and 10,000t for Poland); - non-freezer pelagic vessels: 15,000 GT per month, averaged over the year.
Financial compensation paid by the EU to Mauritania amounts to €86 million per year (with €11 million per year to go to improving local fishing and €1 million to help the Banc d'Arguin national park). To this amount will he added the €22 million per year paid by vessel owners for the purchase of licences. The agreement also provides for cooperation between the parties in the scientific monitoring of the state of the resource (with the scientific committee meeting at least once a year). EU vessels will have to employ a set number of Mauritanian fishermen and accept Mauritanian scientific observers on board. Finally, all fishing vessels will be monitored by satellite when in the Mauritanian exclusive economic zone. (lc)