Fishing: Spanish vessels leave Mauritania without an agreement with the EU
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Kassataya
About thirty Spanish vessels have begun leaving Mauritanian waters, a day before the protocol with Brussels expires, with no renewal. According to El País, the disagreement concerns financial compensation: Nouakchott wants more than Brussels, according to Javier Garat of the Spanish Fisheries Federation.
About thirty Spanish fishing vessels have begun leaving Mauritanian fishing zones, the day before the protocol linking Mauritania to the European Union expires. The protocol runs out on Saturday at midnight, with no agreement to renew it, according to the Spanish daily El País.
The newspaper estimates the number of vessels concerned at around 60 if the fleets of all EU countries are added together. The current agreement allows European boats to fish in Mauritanian waters up to a maximum of 280,000 tonnes, divided between tuna, prawns and squid. According to El País, the failure stems from a disagreement over the financial compensation Brussels pays Nouakchott, with current fees ranging from 150 to 450 euros per tonne depending on the species. Javier Garat, secretary general of the Spanish Fisheries Federation, says Mauritania is demanding more while the EU is offering less, and that the cut in fishing opportunities would affect the Netherlands, Lithuania and Poland in particular.
Andalusian shipowners fear losses of around 50 million euros, while the sector generates nearly 500 direct and indirect jobs in the region. Galicia is calling for its ten vessels to be allowed to keep operating in Mauritania, or to be granted other fishing areas, failing economic support measures. Four rounds of negotiations over six months between Brussels and Nouakchott have failed to produce a deal, despite appeals to the European Commission from Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands and Latvia. Fisheries cooperation between the two parties dates back to 1987.
