European Union and Mauritania agree new fishing possibilities for Spanish demersal freezer fleet in Mauritanian waters

The main aim of this meeting was to examine the possible surpluses in demersal species, including cuttlefish and squid, in order to allow the return of freezer trawlers to Mauritanian waters. This was contemplated in the current Protocol, signed in July 2015, by including this option to introduce a new demersal freezer category within the fishing possibilities in the event that the appropriate available surplus circumstances arose.

The work undertaken by the two parties over the course of this year of applying the Protocol, especially the results from the joint scientific committee meeting held from 5 to 7 September 2016, has made it possible to determine that there is indeed an available surplus that would allow the entry of up to six Spanish freezer trawlers.

New possibilities for the Spanish fleet

This fleet will be able to fish up to 6,938 tonnes of hake, cuttlefish, squid and other demersal species. This will allow the resumption of activity in the fishing ground by a section of the freezer fleet that was forced to leave these waters in 2012 due to the lack of octopus fishing possibilities.

This new category has led to an increased number of possibilities in the most important fisheries agreement for the EU, while continuing to guarantee the sustainability of activities by the European fleet in Mauritanian waters.

The commission also examined the MACAPEL Project for private Canary Islands-Mauritanian investment in the Port of Nouadibou to develop an unloading and processing point for small pelagic species, as has been carried out to date at the Port of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. The two parties welcomed this type of investment and are committed to the continued study of possibilities before the next mixed commission meeting in 2017.

The meeting represents success in the sustainable management of surpluses in Mauritanian waters, which will allow the Spanish fleet to gain access to an important alternative for its demersal species freezer vessels.