The European Commission, on behalf of the Union, and the Ivory Coast has initialled a new fisheries partnership agreement which will cover a renewable six-year period, and will replace the current framework agreement in place since 1990, due to end on 30 June 2007.
According to the Commission, the focus will be on providing full support to the Ivory Coast in working towards achieving sustainable fishing in its waters. The new protocol, also agreed for a period of six years, will exclusively concern fishing possibilities on tuna. These have been reduced from 9,000 to 7,000 tonnes per year. Licences have been agreed for 25 seiners and 15 surface long liners. The annual financial contribution, which will amount to €595,000, will be entirely allocated to the establishment of responsible and sustainable fishing in the waters of Ivory Coast.
Demersal fisheries (close to the sea floor), available under the current agreement, have not been included in the new protocol due to the lack of sufficiently detailed data and of EU interest. The licences for tuna vessels have been reduced from 34 to 25 for seiners but increased from 11 to 15 for the surface long liners. Given the overall reduction in fishing possibilities, the financial contribution has been decreased from the current €1,065,000 to €595,000 per year.
This new partnership agreement will enable the two Parties to establish a constant dialogue on the fisheries policy of the Ivory Coast. Both agreed on working to strengthen the institutional capacity in fisheries management and to improve control and monitoring of fishing activities so as to ensure sustainable fishing in the waters of the Ivory Coast. They also agreed to work on a protocol on the implementation of a satellite-based vessel monitoring system in the Ivory Coast. Vessels operating under this fisheries agreement come from Spain, France and Portugal.
