EU and Mauritania reach a new deal for sustainable management of fisheries

(10/07/2015) The European Union and the Islamic Republic of Mauritania have concluded a deal that will allow EU fishermen to fish in Mauritanian waters for four years. EU Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Karmenu Vella said: "Signing the EU's largest fisheries partnership agreement with Mauritania brings twofold benefits: To our fishermen, it means certainty and good fishing opportunities at value for money for the
next four years. For the region as a whole, it contributes to stability and the sustainable management of fisheries resources".
This new protocol confirms several decades of cooperation in the field of fisheries, a key sector for the development of Mauritania and one of the pillars of the European strategy for blue growth.
Under this protocol, the EU fleet will be allowed to fish in Mauritanian waters for shrimp, demersal fish, tuna and small pelagic fish, up to a total of 281 500 tonnes a year, under improved operational conditions. In addition to catches paid for by the European fleet, the EU will dedicate € 59.125 million per year to the partnership, of which € 4.125 million will be used to support local fishing communities in Mauritania.