Mauritania has temporarily lifted its ban on pelagic pair trawling ban to make it attractive for Irish and Scottish pelagic refrigerated seawater (RWS) trawlers to target mackerel, horse mackerel, sardines and sardinella off northwest Africa.
When the fisheries treaty between the European Union and Mauritania was renewed in 2006 a new category (Category 11) was created to give access to the abundant small pelagic fisheries off Mauritania, which are dominated by freezer trawlers, as well as for Irish and Scottish RSW trawlers.
However, the prohibition of the RSW preferred method of pair trawling and the lack of onshore processing made it difficult for them to avail themselves of the much needed extra Mauritanian fishing opportunities.
In 2006 the then Mauritanian fisheries minister stressed to World Fishing that the pair trawling ban would remain on advice of the FAO to protect mainly demersal stocks, but his successor Aghdhefna Ould Eyih told WF that he would allow pelagic pair trawling on a trial basis following scientific and legal advice.
Because of the lack of uptake of licences under category by Irish and Scottish RSW trawlers and the EU’s threat to scrap category 11 and reduce the annual payment of €86 million ($105.5 million) pro rata for fishing rights, Bellahi Brahin Vall, the agent for the Irish Atlantic Dawn firm that had been fishing with two RSW catchers discharging into the Ocean Fresh factory ship in 2008, suggested to Eyih he should reconsider the pelagic pair trawling ban.
“There was opposition from the vested pelagic freezer interests but the scientific advice confirmed that mid water pair trawling was clean and fuel-efficient compared with single trawls. I am very happy that the minister has allowed an initial year-long trial period that can be extended for up to two years because this will revolutionise the Mauritanian fishing industry to the benefit of the country,” said Vall.
Having obtained permission first for RSW trawlers discharging into factory ships pending the development of adequate onshore processing capacity, Vall has received planning permission for a plant in Mauritania’s main fishing port of Nouadhibou.
A special, in-depth New Horizons report on Mauritania’s fisheries appears in the July 2010 issue of World Fishing.
