Fisheries agreement signed between Mauritania and Senegal
On 25 July in Nouakchott, the Mauritanian Minister for Fisheries and the Maritime Economy and his Senegalese counterpart signed a protocol on the implementation of the fisheries agreement between the two countries.
Mauritania will allow a maximum of 500 Senegalese vessels to fish in its waters for a total of 50,000 tonnes of pelagic fish, excluding yellow mullet and wahoo.
In return, the Senegalese authorities will supply a sufficient number of juveniles for restocking of Mauritanian continental waters. In particular, Lake Foum Gleita in the south of the country. Senegal will also provide 4 fish farming instructors to help build the technical capacity of the Mauritanian industry.
However, the agreement, which is renewable for one year, has not met with unanimous approval. The secretary of the Association for the promotion of sustainable artisanal fishing in West Africa (ADEPA) supports the principle of cooperation and solidarity between states. However, he questions the implementation of certain points of the agreement.
Mauritanian fishermen are worried about their future. They fear that this agreement will threaten their interests by over-exploiting fisheries resources.
The NGO Zakia has been warning about the catastrophic situation of the West African fishing industry for several years.
