Proposal for a Council Decision on the conclusion of the Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters on the provisional application of the Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Community and the Islamic Republic of Mauritania on fishing in Mauritanian fishing zones and of the Protocol setting out the fishing opportunities and financial contribution which applies from 1 August 2006 to 31 July 2008
Date: 2006-09-18
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: European Community, Mauritania, cooperation agreement, financial compensation of an agreement, fishery management, fishing agreement, fishing area, fishing rights

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 18.9.2006 
COM(2006)505 final 

Proposal for a 

COUNCIL DECISION 

on the conclusion of the Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters on the 
provisional application of the Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European 
Community and the Islamic Republic of Mauritania on fishing in Mauritanian fishing 
zones and of the Protocol setting out the fishing opportunities and financial contribution 
which applies from 1 August 2006 to 31 July 2008 

(presented by the Commission) 

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EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM 

The  Community  and  the  Islamic  Republic  of  Mauritania  have  negotiated  and  initialled,  on 
21 July 2006, a Fisheries Partnership Agreement which has been concluded for a period of six 
years  from  its  entry  into  force  and  is  renewable.  It  is  accompanied  by  a  Protocol  and  the 
Annex thereto setting out the fishing opportunities and the financial contribution.  

The Protocol and the Annex thereto have been signed for a period of two years, and may be 
tacitly  renewed  twice,  each  time  for  another  two  years,  giving  a  total  of  six  years  from 
1 August  2006.  Pending  the  entry  into  force  of  the  new  Agreement,  this  Protocol  and  the 
Annex thereto will enter into force on the date on which the Parties notify each other of the 
completion  of  the  procedures  necessary  for  that  purpose.  They  will  apply  with  effect  from 
1 August 2006. 

The main objective of the new Partnership Agreement is  to strengthen cooperation between 
the  European  Community  and  the  Islamic  Republic  of  Mauritania,  thereby  creating  a 
framework  of  partnership  in  which  to  develop  a  sustainable  fisheries  policy  and  sound 
exploitation  of  fisheries  resources  in  the  Mauritanian  fishing  zone,  in  the  interests  of  both 
Parties. The Commission’s negotiating position was based in part on the results of an ex-post 
and ex-ante evaluation carried out by independent experts. 

The two Parties are involved in a political dialogue on topics of mutual interest in the fisheries 
sector.  In  the  Fisheries  Partnership  Agreement,  the  current  priorities  of  fisheries  policy  in 
Mauritania  will  allow  the  identification  by  mutual  agreement  between  the  two  Parties  of 
objectives,  and  the  annual  and  multiannual  programming  to  attain  them,  with  a  view  to 
ensuring a sustainable and responsible management of the sector. 

The Partnership Agreement also provides for encouraging economic, scientific and technical 
cooperation in the fisheries sector and related sectors. 

The financial contribution under the Protocol is fixed at EUR 86 000 000 per year for fishing 
opportunities  in  eleven  categories.  Of  this  financial  contribution,  EUR 11  000  000  per  year 
will be allocated to financial support for the implementation of the national fisheries policy, 
including EUR 1 000 000 per year for support for the Banc d’Arguin National Park (PNBA).  

The  fishing  opportunities  provided  for  in  the  Agreement  have  been  laid  down  for  eleven 
categories. The conditions for each licence period are as follows:  

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

crustaceans (excluding crawfish): maximum authorised capacity 9 440 GT;  

black hake trawlers and longliners: maximum authorised capacity 3.600 GT;  

demersal fisheries – other than trawlers and targeting species other than black hake: 
maximum authorised capacity 2.324 GT;  

demersal  trawlers  –  targeting  demersal  species  other  than  black  hake,  cephalopods 
and crustaceans: maximum authorised capacity 750 GT;  

cephalopods: maximum authorised capacity 18 600 GT for 43 licences;  

crawfish and crabs: maximum authorised capacity 300 GT for each category;  

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– 

– 

– 

tuna fisheries: maximum of 36 licences for seiners and 31 licences for pole-and-line 
vessels and surface longliners as a whole;  

small pelagics (pelagic freezer trawler): maximum 22 licences;  

small pelagics (non-freezer vessels): maximum authorised capacity 15 000 GT.  

Shipowners’ fees have been fixed for each category. It is estimated that shipowners will pay 
total contributions of around EUR 22 000 000 per year directly to Mauritania.  

The Commission is accordingly proposing that the Council adopt by Decision the Agreement 
in  the  form  of  an  Exchange  of  Letters  concerning  the  provisional  application  of  the 
Agreement and of the Protocol, pending their definitive entry into force. 

A  proposal  for  a  Council  Regulation  concerning  the  conclusion  of  the  new  Agreement  is  the 
subject of a separate procedure.  

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Proposal for a 

COUNCIL DECISION 

on the conclusion of the Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters on the 
provisional application of the Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European 
Community and the Islamic Republic of Mauritania on fishing in Mauritanian fishing 
zones and of the Protocol setting out the fishing opportunities and financial contribution 
which applies from 1 August 2006 to 31 July 2008 

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, 

Having  regard  to  the  Treaty  establishing  the  European  Community,  and  in  particular 
Article 300(2) in conjunction with Article 37 thereof, 

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission, 

Whereas: 

(1) 

The Community and the Islamic Republic of Mauritania have negotiated and initialled 
a  Fisheries  Partnership  Agreement  providing  Community  fishermen  with  fishing 
opportunities  in  the  waters  falling  within  the  sovereignty  of  the  Islamic  Republic  of 
Mauritania. 

(2) 

It is in the Community’s interest to approve that Agreement. 

(3) 

It is necessary to guarantee the pursuit of fishing activities from the date of expiry of 
the  previous  Agreement  and  Protocol1  until  the  date  of  entry  into  force  of  the 
Agreement  and  the  Protocol  setting  out  the  fishing  opportunities  and  financial 
contribution provided for in that Agreement. 

(4) 

The method for allocating the fishing opportunities among the Member States should 
be defined, 

HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS: 

Article 1 

The  Agreement  in  the  form  of  an  Exchange  of  Letters  on  the  provisional  application  of  the 
Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Community and the Islamic Republic 
of  Mauritania  on  fishing  in  Mauritanian  fishing  zones  and  of  the  Protocol  setting  out  the 
fishing opportunities and financial contribution which applies from 1 August 2006 to 31 July 
2008 are hereby approved on behalf of the Community. 

1 

Approved by Council Regulation (EC) No 2528/2001 of 17 December 2001, OJ L 341, 22.12.2001, p.1. 

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The text of the Agreement is attached to this Decision. 

The Agreement shall apply provisionally from 1 August 2006. 

Article 2 

Article 3 

1. 

The  fishing  opportunities  set  out  in  the  Protocol  shall  be  allocated  among  the 
Member States as follows:  

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Fishing category 

GT or maximum number 
of licences per licence 
period 

Member State 

GT, licences or annual catch 
ceiling by Member State  

 Category  1:  Fishing  vessels 
specialising  in  crustaceans  other 
than crawfish and crab 

Category  2:  Black  hake  trawlers 
and bottom longliners 

Category  3:  Vessels  fishing  for 
demersal species other than black 
hake with gear other than trawls 

Category  4:  Pelagic 
trawlers 
species 

freezer 
fishing  for  demersal 

Category 5: Cephalopods  

Category 6: Crawfish 

Category 7: Freezer tuna seiners 

Category  8:  Pole-and-line  tuna 
vessels and surface longliners 

9 440 GT 

3 600 GT 

Spain 

Italy 

Portugal 

Spain 

Spain 

2 324 GT 

United Kingdom 

750 GT 

18 600 GT 

43 licences 

300 GT 

36 licences 

31 licences 

Malta 

Greece 

Spain 

Italy 

Portugal 

Spain 

France 

Malta 

Spain 

France 

Portugal 

7 183 GT 

1 371 GT 

886 GT 

3 600 GT 

1 500 GT 

800 GT 

24 GT 

750 GT 

39 licences 

4 licences 

300 GT 

15 licences 

20 licences 

1 licence 

23 licences 

5 licences 

3 licences 

Category  9:  Pelagic 
trawlers 

freezer 

22 licences for a maximum 
ceiling of 
440 000 tonnes 

Netherlands 

194 000 tonnes 

Lithuania 

Latvia 

Germany 

United Kingdom 

Portugal 

France 

Poland 

Spain 

128 000 tonnes 

77 000 tonnes 

15 000 tonnes 

8 000 tonnes 

6 000 tonnes 

6 000 tonnes 

6 000 tonnes 

300 GT 

Category 10: Crab fishing  

300 GT 

Category 11: Non-freezer pelagic 
vessels 

15 000 GT per month, 
averaged over the year 

2. 

Under  the  Protocol,  unused  category  11  fishing  opportunities  (non-freezer  pelagic 
vessels) may be used by category 9 (pelagic freezer trawlers) at a rate of a maximum 
25 licences per month. 

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3. 

4. 

5. 

If licence applications for category 9 (pelagic freezer trawlers) exceed the maximum 
permitted  number  per  reference  period,  the  Commission  shall  give  priority  to 
forwarding  applications  from  vessels  which  made  most  use  of  licences  in  the  six 
months preceding that licence application. 

For category 11 (non-freezer pelagic vessels), the Commission will forward licence 
applications  once  it  has  received  an  annual  fishing  plan  detailing  applications  by 
vessel  (specifying  the  number  of  GT  planned  for  each  month  of  activity,  for  every 
month  of  the  year)  and  sent  to  the  Commission  not  later  than  1  December  of  the 
previous year. 

In the event of applications for more than 15 000 GT per month averaged over the 
year, the award will be carried out on the basis of the table of applications and of the 
above fishing plans.  

If  licence  applications  from  these  Member  States  do  not  cover  all  the  fishing 
opportunities laid down by the Protocol, the Commission may take into consideration 
licence applications from any other Member State. 

Article 4 

The Member States whose vessels fish under this Agreement shall notify the Commission of 
the  quantities  of  each  stock  caught  within  the  Mauritanian  fishing  zone  in  accordance  with 
Commission Regulation (EC) No 500/2001 of 14 March 2001 laying down detailed rules for 
the application of Council Regulation (EEC) No 2847/93 on the monitoring of catches taken 
by Community fishing vessels in third country waters and on the high seas2. 

Article 5 

The President of the Council is hereby authorised to designate the persons empowered to sign 
the Agreement in order to bind the European Community at a date to be determined later. 

Done at Brussels, 

For the Council 
The President 

2 

OJ L 73, 15.3.2001, p. 8. 

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Annex 

Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters on the provisional application of the 
Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Community and the Islamic 
Republic of Mauritania on fishing in Mauritanian fishing zones and of the Protocol 
setting out the fishing opportunities and financial contribution which applies from 
1 August 2006 to 31 July 2008 

A. Letter from the Government of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania 

Sir, 

I  am  delighted  that  Islamic  Republic  of  Mauritania  and  European  Community  negotiators 
have  been  able  to  reach  a  consensus  on  a  Fisheries  Partnership  Agreement  between  the 
Islamic Republic of Mauritania and the European Community, and on a Protocol setting out 
the fishing opportunities and financial contribution and its Annexes. 

The result of these negotiations progresses from the earlier Cooperation Agreement and will 
strengthen  our  fisheries  relations  and  establish  a  true  framework  of  partnership  in  which  to 
develop  a  sustainable  fisheries  policy  and  responsible  exploitation  of  fisheries  resources  in 
Mauritanian  waters  and  improved  economic  integration  of  Community  operators  in 
Mauritania’s fishing sector. 

To this end, I would propose launching in parallel the procedures for approval and ratification 
of the texts of the Agreement, the Protocol and its Annexes in accordance with the procedures 
in force in the Islamic Republic of Mauritania and the European Community and necessary to 
their entry into force. 

In order to avoid interrupting fishing activities by Community vessels in Mauritanian waters, 
and  referring  to  the  Agreement  initialled  on 21  July  2006  on  fishing  in  Mauritanian  fishing 
zones and the Protocol initialled on 21 July 2006 and setting out the fishing opportunities and 
financial contribution from 1 August 2006 to 31 July 2008, I have the honour to inform you 
that the Government of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania is willing to apply this Agreement 
and  this  Protocol  provisionally  from  1  August 2006  pending  their  entry  into  force  in 
accordance  with  Article 17  of  the  Agreement,  provided  that  the  European  Community  is 
prepared to do likewise. 

The  European  Community  shall  endeavour  to  accelerate  as  far  as  possible  its  adoption 
procedures  for  the  Agreement,  the  Protocol  and  its  Annexes  so  that  it  can  pay  the  first 
instalment  of  the  financial  contribution  laid  down  by  Article  2  of  the  Protocol  as  soon  as 
possible and in any case before 31 December 2006. 

I should be grateful if you would confirm the agreement of the European Community to such 
a provisional application. 

Please accept, Sir, the assurance of my highest consideration. 

For the Government of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania 

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B. Letter from the European Community 

Sir, 

I  have  the  honour  to  acknowledge  receipt  of  your  letter  of  today’s  date  which  reads  as 
follows: 

“Sir, 

I  am  delighted  that  Islamic  Republic  of  Mauritania  and  European  Community  negotiators 
have  been  able  to  reach  a  consensus  on  a  Fisheries  Partnership  Agreement  between  the 
Islamic Republic of Mauritania and the European Community, and on a Protocol setting out 
the fishing opportunities and financial contribution and its Annexes. 

The result of these negotiations progresses from the earlier Cooperation Agreement and will 
strengthen  our  fisheries  relations  and  establish  a  true  framework  of  partnership  in  which  to 
develop  a  sustainable  fisheries  policy  and  responsible  exploitation  of  fisheries  resources  in 
Mauritanian  waters  and  improved  economic  integration  of  Community  operators  in 
Mauritania’s fishing sector. 

To this end, I would propose launching in parallel the procedures for approval and ratification 
of the texts of the Agreement, the Protocol and its Annexes in accordance with the procedures 
in force in the Islamic Republic of Mauritania and the European Community and necessary to 
their entry into force. 

In order to avoid interrupting fishing activities by Community vessels in Mauritanian waters, 
and  referring  to  the  Agreement  initialled  on 21  July  2006  on  fishing  in  Mauritanian  fishing 
zones and the Protocol initialled on 21 July 2006 and setting out the fishing opportunities and 
financial contribution from 1 August 2006 to 31 July 2008, I have the honour to inform you 
that the Government of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania is willing to apply this Agreement 
and  this  Protocol  provisionally  from  1  August 2006  pending  their  entry  into  force  in 
accordance  with  Article 17  of  the  Agreement,  provided  that  the  European  Community  is 
prepared to do likewise. 

The  European  Community  shall  endeavour  to  accelerate  as  far  as  possible  its  adoption 
procedures  for  the  Agreement,  the  Protocol  and  its  Annexes  so  that  it  can  pay  the  first 
instalment  of  the  financial  contribution  laid  down  by  Article  2  of  the  Protocol  as  soon  as 
possible and in any case before 31 December 2006. 

I should be grateful if you would confirm the agreement of the European Community to such 
a provisional application. 

Please accept, Sir, the assurance of my highest consideration. 

For the Government of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania” 

I  am  pleased  to  confirm  the  agreement  of  the  European  Community  to  a  provisional 
application. 

Please accept, Sir, the assurance of my highest consideration. 

For the Council of the European Union 

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FISHERIES PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT 
between the European Community and the Islamic Republic of Mauritania 

THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY, hereinafter referred to as “the Community”, and 

THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF MAURITANIA, hereinafter referred to as “Mauritania”, 

hereinafter referred to as the “Parties”, 

CONSIDERING  the  close  working  relationship  between  the  Community  and  Mauritania, 
particularly  in  the  context  of  the  Cotonou  Agreement  establishing  a  relationship  of  close 
cooperation  between  the  European  Community  and  its  Member  States,  of  the  one  part,  and 
Mauritania, of the other part, and their mutual desire to intensify that relationship, 

RECALLING  that  the  Community  and  Mauritania  are  signatories  to  the  United  Nations 
Convention on the Law of Sea and that, in accordance with that Convention, Mauritania has 
established an exclusive economic zone extending 200 nautical miles from its shores within 
which it exercises its sovereign rights for the purpose of exploring, conserving and managing 
the resources of that zone, 

DETERMINED  to  cooperate,  in  their  mutual  interest,  in  particular  on  the  basis  of  the 
principles  established  by  the  Code  of  conduct  for  responsible  fisheries  adopted  at  the  FAO 
Conference in 1995, in promoting the introduction of responsible fisheries to ensure the long-
term  conservation  and  sustainable  exploitation  of  marine  living  resources,  in  particular  by 
reinforcing  the  control  system  covering  fishing  activities  as  a  whole,  in  order  to  ensure  the 
effectiveness  of  the  measures  for  the  development  and  conservation  of  these  resources,  and 
the protection of the marine environment, 

CONVINCED that the achievement of their respective economic and social objectives in the 
fisheries sector will be furthered by close cooperation in scientific and technical research in 
that sector on terms ensuring the conservation and rational exploitation of fish stocks, 

CONVINCED  that  such  cooperation  must  take  the  form  of  initiatives  and  measures  which, 
whether  taken  jointly  or  separately,  are  complementary  and  ensure  consistent  policies  and 
synergy of effort, 

DECIDED,  to  these  ends,  to  contribute,  within  the  framework  of  Mauritania’s  sectoral 
fisheries  policy,  to  promoting  the  development  of  a  partnership  with  a  view  in  particular  to 
identifying the most appropriate means of ensuring that this policy is effectively implemented 
and that economic operators and civil society are involved in the process, 

DESIROUS  of  establishing  terms  and  conditions  governing  the  fishing  activities  of 
Community vessels in Mauritanian fishing zones and Community support for the introduction 
of responsible fishing in those fishing zones, 

AWARE of the role played by the sea fisheries sector and related industries in the economic 
and social development of Mauritania and various regions of the Community, 

RESOLVED  to  pursue  closer  economic  cooperation  in  the  fishing  industry  and  related 
activities  through  the  setting  up  and  development  of  investments  involving  companies  from 
both Parties, 

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HEREBY AGREE AS FOLLOWS: 

Article 1 – Scope 

This Agreement establishes the principles, rules and procedures governing: 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

economic, financial, technical and scientific cooperation in the fisheries sector with a 
view to establishing responsible fishing in Mauritanian fishing zones to guarantee the 
conservation  and  sustainable  exploitation  of  fisheries  resources  and  develop  the 
Mauritanian fisheries sector; 

the  conditions  governing  access  by  Community  fishing  vessels  to  Mauritanian 
fishing zones; 

the arrangements for policing fisheries in Mauritanian fishing zones with a view to 
ensuring that the above rules and conditions are complied with, that the measures for 
the  conservation  and  management  of  fish  stocks  are  effective  and  that  illegal, 
undeclared and unregulated fishing is prevented; 

partnerships  between  companies  aimed  at  developing  economic  activities  in  the 
fisheries sector and related activities, in the common interest; 

the conditions for landing and transhipment of catches made in Mauritanian fishing 
zones; 

the  terms  for  taking  seamen  on  board  Community  vessels  operating  under  this 
Agreement in Mauritanian fishing zones. 

Article 2 – Definitions 

For the purposes of this Agreement, the Annexes and Protocol thereto: 

(a) 

(b) 

(c) 

(d) 

(e) 

(f) 

“Mauritanian  fishing  zones”  mean  the  waters  over  which  the  Islamic  Republic  of 
Mauritania  has  sovereignty  or  jurisdiction.  The  fishing  activities  by  Community 
vessels provided for in this Agreement shall be carried out only in the zones in which 
fishing is authorised under Mauritanian law; 

“the Ministry” means Mauritania’s Ministry of Fisheries and the Marine Economy;  

“Community authorities” means the European Commission;  

“Community vessel” means a fishing vessel flying the flag of a Member State of the 
Community and registered in the Community;  

“Joint Committee” means a committee made up of representatives of the Community 
and Mauritania whose functions are described in Article 10 of this Agreement; 

“Surveillance  authority”  means  the  delegation  responsible  for  fisheries  surveillance 
and protection in Mauritania (DSPCM); 

(g) 

“the Delegation” means the Delegation of the European Commission to Mauritania. 

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(h) 

“seamen”  means  all  personnel  on  board  forming  part  of  the  crew,  irrespective  of 
qualifications (officers, technicians, supervisors, deckhands). 

Article 3 – Principles and objectives underlying 
this Agreement 

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

1. 

2. 

3. 

The Parties hereby undertake to promote responsible fishing in  Mauritanian fishing 
zones  based  on  the  principle  of  non-discrimination  between  the  different  fleets 
fishing in those zones. 

The  Parties  undertake  to  establish  the  principles  of  dialogue  and  of  prior 
consultations, in particular as regards implementation of the sectoral fisheries policy 
on  the  one  hand  and  of  Community  policies  and  measures  which  could  have  an 
impact on the Mauritanian fisheries sector industry on the other.  

The  Parties  hereby  undertake  to  ensure  that  this  Agreement  is  implemented  in 
accordance  with  the  principles  of  good  environmental,  economic  and  social 
governance. 

The  Parties  shall  also  cooperate  in  carrying  out  ex-ante,  ongoing  and  ex-post 
evaluations,  both  jointly  and  unilaterally,  of  measures,  programmes  and  actions  for 
the implementation of this Agreement. 

The  employment  of  Mauritanian  seamen  on  board  Community  vessels  shall  be 
governed  by 
the  International  Labour  Organisation  (ILO)  Declaration  on 
Fundamental  Principles  and  Rights  at  Work,  which  shall  apply  as  of  right  to  the 
corresponding  contracts  and  general  terms  of  employment.  This  concerns  in 
particular  the  freedom  of  association  and  the  effective  recognition  of  the  right  to 
collective bargaining, and the elimination of discrimination in respect of employment 
and occupation.  

Article 4 – Scientific cooperation 

During the period covered by the Agreement,  the  Community  and  Mauritania  shall 
cooperate to monitor certain issues relating to the state of resources in Mauritanian 
fishing zones. To this end, an independent Joint Scientific Committee shall be set up. 
By mutual agreement between the Parties it may be opened by invitation to external 
scientists.  The  operating  procedures  of  the  Joint  Scientific  Committee,  which  shall 
meet at least once a year, shall be laid down by mutual agreement before the entry 
into force of this Agreement.  

Based  on  the  results  of  the  work  of  the  Joint  Scientific  Committee  and  the  best 
available  scientific  advice,  the  Parties  shall  consult  each  other  within  the  Joint 
Committee  provided  for  in  Article  10  and,  where  necessary  and  by  mutual 
agreement,  take  measures  to  ensure  the  sustainable  management  of  fisheries 
resources. 

The  Parties  undertake  to  consult  one  other,  either  directly  or  within  the  competent 
international  organisations,  to  ensure  the  management  and  conservation  of  living 
resources  in  the  Atlantic  Ocean,  and  to  cooperate  in  implementing  the  relevant 
scientific research. 

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Article 5 – Access by Community vessels 
to fisheries in Mauritanian fishing zones 

The  fishing  activities  governed  by  this  Agreement  shall  be  subject  to  the  laws  and 
regulations in force in Mauritania. The Ministry shall notify the Community of any 
amendments to that legislation. Without prejudice to any provisions which might be 
agreed between the Parties, Community vessels shall comply with such amendments 
within one month of their notification.  

Mauritania undertakes to authorise Community vessels to engage in fishing activities 
in  its  fishing  zones  in  accordance  with  this  Agreement,  including  the  Protocol  and 
Annexes thereto. 

Mauritania  shall  ensure  the  effective  implementation  of  the  fisheries  monitoring 
provisions in the Protocol. Community vessels shall cooperate with the Mauritanian 
authorities responsible for carrying out such monitoring. 

The Community undertakes to take all the appropriate steps required to ensure that 
its vessels comply with this Agreement and the legislation governing fisheries in the 
waters over which Mauritania has jurisdiction, in accordance with the United Nations 
Convention on the Law of the Sea. 

Article 6 – Conditions governing fishing activities 

Community  vessels  may  fish  in  the  Mauritanian  fishing  zones  only  if  they  are  in 
possession of a fishing licence issued under this Agreement. The exercise of fishing 
activities by Community vessels shall be subject to the holding of a licence issued by 
the  competent  Mauritanian  authorities  at  the  request  of  the  competent  Community 
authorities. The procedures for the issue of licences and for the payment of fees and 
contributions  to  scientific  observers’  expenses,  and  any  other  conditions  to  which 
fishing activities by Community vessels in Mauritanian fishing zones may be subject, 
are set out in the Annexes hereto. 

For  fishing  categories  not  covered  by  the  Protocol  in  force,  and  for  exploratory 
fishing,  licences  may  be  granted  to  Community  vessels  by  the  Ministry.  However, 
the  granting  of  these  licences  remains  dependent  on  a  favourable  opinion  from  the 
two Parties.  

The  Protocol  to  this  Agreement  sets  out  the  fishing  opportunities  granted  by 
Mauritania  to  Community  vessels  in  Mauritanian  fishing  zones  and  the  financial 
contribution referred to in Article 7 of this Agreement. 

The  Parties  shall  ensure  the  proper  implementation  of  these  procedures  and 
conditions  by  appropriate  administrative  cooperation  between  their  competent 
authorities. 

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

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Article 7 – Financial contribution 

1. 

The  Community  shall  grant  Mauritania  a  financial  contribution  in  accordance  with 
the  terms  and  conditions  laid  down  in  the Protocol  and  Annexes.  This  contribution 
shall comprise two elements, namely:  

(a) 

a  financial  contribution  due  for  access  by  Community  vessels  to  Mauritanian 
fishing  zones,  without  prejudice  to  the  fees  due  by  Community  vessels  to 
obtain licences; 

(b)  Community  financial  support  for  implementing  a  national  fisheries  policy 
based  on  responsible  fishing  and  on  the  sustainable  exploitation  of  fisheries 
resources in Mauritanian waters. 

The  financial  support  referred  to  in  paragraph  1(b)  above  shall  be  determined  by 
mutual agreement in accordance with the Protocol in the light of objectives identified 
by  the  two  Parties  to  be  achieved  in  the  context  of  the  sectoral  fisheries  policy  in 
Mauritania.  

The  financial  contribution  granted  by  the  Community  shall  be  paid  each  year  in 
accordance with the Protocol and subject to this Agreement and the Protocol in the 
event of any change to the amount of the contribution as a result of: 

(a) 

exceptional circumstances; 

(b) 

a reduction in the fishing opportunities granted to Community vessels, made by 
mutual  agreement  for  the  purposes  of  managing  the  stocks  concerned,  where 
this is considered necessary for the conservation and sustainable exploitation of 
resources on the basis of the best available scientific advice; 

(c) 

an increase in the fishing opportunities granted to Community vessels, made by 
mutual agreement between the Parties where the best available scientific advice 
concurs that the state of resources so permits; 

(d) 

termination of this Agreement under Article 15; 

(e) 

suspension  of  the  application  of  this  Agreement  under  Article  15  or  the 
Protocol. 

Article 8 – Promoting cooperation among 
economic operators  

The  Parties  shall  encourage  economic,  scientific  and  technical  cooperation  in  the 
fisheries  sector  and  related  sectors.  They  shall  consult  one  another  with  a  view  to 
coordinating the different measures that might be taken to this end. 

The Parties shall encourage exchanges of information on fishing techniques and gear, 
preservation methods and the processing of fisheries products. 

2. 

3. 

1. 

2. 

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14 

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3. 

4. 

The  Parties  shall  endeavour  to  create  conditions  favourable  to  the  promotion  of 
relations  between  their  enterprises  in  the  technical,  economic  and  commercial 
spheres,  by  encouraging  the  establishment  of  an  environment  favourable  to  the 
development of business and investment.  

The  Parties  shall  encourage,  in  particular,  the  promotion  of  investments  in  their 
mutual interest, in compliance with Mauritanian and Community law. 

Article 9 – Administrative cooperation 

The Parties, desirous of ensuring the effectiveness of the measures for the development and 
conservation of fishery resources, shall: 

– 

– 

1. 

develop administrative cooperation with a view to ensuring that their vessels comply 
with the provisions of this Agreement and with Mauritanian sea fisheries rules, each 
on its own behalf; 

cooperate to prevent and combat illegal fishing, in particular through the exchange of 
information and close administrative cooperation.  

Article 10 – Joint Committee 

A Joint Committee set up between the two Parties shall be responsible for monitoring 
the  implementation  of  this  Agreement.  The  Joint  Committee  shall  also  perform  the 
following functions: 

(a)  monitoring  the  performance,  interpretation  and  smooth  operation  of  the 

application of the Agreement, and the settlement of disputes;  

(b)  monitoring  and  evaluating  the  implementation  of  the  contribution  of  the 
Fisheries  Partnership  Agreement  to  the  implementation  of  Mauritania’s 
sectoral fisheries policy; 

(c) 

(d) 

(e) 

(f) 

providing  the  necessary  liaison  for  matters  of  mutual  interest  relating  to 
fisheries;  

acting  as  a  forum  for  the  amicable  settlement  of  any  disputes  regarding  the 
interpretation or application of the Agreement;  

reassessing,  where  necessary, 
consequently, of the financial contribution; 

the 

level  of  fishing  opportunities  and, 

any other function that the Parties decide by mutual agreement to confer on it, 
including  with  regard  to  combating  illegal  fishing  and  administrative 
cooperation; 

(g) 

fixing  the  practical  arrangements  for  the  administrative  cooperation  provided 
for in Article 9 of this Agreement; 

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(h)  monitoring  and  evaluating  the  cooperation  between  economic  operators  as 
referred  to  in  Article  8  of  this  Agreement  and  proposing,  where  necessary, 
ways of promoting it.  

2. 

The Joint Committee shall meet at least once a year, alternately in Mauritania and in 
the Community, and shall be chaired by the Party hosting the meeting. It shall hold a 
special meeting at the request of either of the Parties. 

Article 11 – Area of application 

This  Agreement  shall  apply,  on  the  one  hand,  to  the  territories  in  which  the  Treaty 
establishing the European Community applies, under the conditions laid down in that Treaty, 
and, on the other, to the territory of Mauritania and the waters under Mauritanian jurisdiction. 

Article 12 – Duration 

This  Agreement  shall  apply  for  six  years  from  the  date  of  its  entry  into  force;  it  shall  be 
renewable for six-year periods unless notice of termination is given in accordance with Article 
14. 

Article 13 – Settlement of disputes 

The  Parties  shall  consult  each  other  on  any  dispute  concerning  the  interpretation  or 
application of this Agreement. 

Article 14 – Termination 

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

This  Agreement  may  be  terminated  by  either  Party  in  particular  in  the  event  of 
unusual circumstances such as the degradation of the stocks concerned, the discovery 
of a reduced level of exploitation of the fishing opportunities granted to Community 
vessels,  or  failure  to  comply  with  undertakings  made  by  the  Parties  with  regard  to 
combating illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. 

If  the  Agreement  is  terminated  for  the  reasons  referred  to  in  paragraph  1  of  this 
Article, the Party concerned shall notify the other Party in writing of its intention to 
withdraw  from  the  Agreement  at  least  six  months  before  the  date  of  expiry  of  the 
initial period or each additional period. If the Agreement is terminated for any reason 
other than those referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article, the notification period shall 
be nine months. 

Dispatch  of  the  notification  referred  to  in  the  previous  paragraph  shall  open 
consultations by the Parties. 

Payment of the financial contribution referred to in Article 7 for the year in which the 
termination takes effect shall be reduced proportionately and pro rata temporis. 

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Article 15 – Suspension 

1. 

2. 

Application  of  this  Agreement  may  be  suspended  at  the  initiative  of  one  of  the 
Parties in the event of a serious disagreement as to the application of provisions laid 
down in the Agreement. Suspension of application of the Agreement shall require the 
interested Party to notify its intention in writing at least three months before the date 
on which suspension is due to take effect. On receipt of this notification, the Parties 
shall enter into consultations with a view to resolving their differences amicably. 

Payment  of  the  financial  contribution  referred  to  in  Article  7  shall  be  reduced 
proportionately  and  pro rata temporis,  according  to  the  duration  of  the  suspension, 
without prejudice to Article 7(4) of the Protocol. 

Article 16 – Protocol and Annexes 

The  Protocol,  the  Annexes  and  the  appendices  thereto  shall  form  an  integral  part  of  this 
Agreement. 

Article 17 – Final Provisions – Language and entry into force 

This  Agreement,  drawn  up  in  duplicate  in  the  Arabic,  Czech,  Estonian,  Danish,  Dutch, 
English,  Finnish,  French,  German,  Greek,  Hungarian,  Italian,  Latvian,  Lithuanian,  Maltese, 
Polish,  Portuguese,  Slovak,  Slovenian,  Spanish  and  Swedish  languages,  each  of  these  texts 
being  equally  authentic,  shall  enter  into  force  on  the  date  on  which  the  Parties  notify  each 
other that their procedures have been completed. 

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PROTOCOL 
setting out the fishing opportunities and financial contribution provided for in the 
Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Community and the Islamic 
Republic of Mauritania  

Article 1 
Period of application and fishing opportunities 

For  a  period  of  two  years  from  1  August  2006,  the  fishing  opportunities  granted 
under Articles 5 and 6 of the Agreement shall be as laid down in the table attached to 
this  Protocol.  These  opportunities  form  part  of  the  overall  fishing  effort  shown  in 
Annex  III  laid  down  by  the  Mauritanian  authorities  on  the  basis  of  available 
scientific advice and regularly updated. 

Paragraph 1 shall apply subject to Articles 4 and 5 of this Protocol. 

Under Article 6 of the Agreement, vessels flying the flag of a Member State of the 
European  Community  may  fish  in  Mauritanian  fishing  zones  only  if  they  are  in 
possession  of  a  fishing  licence  issued  under  this  Protocol  in  accordance  with  the 
Annexes hereto. 

Article 2 
Financial contribution – Methods of payment 

The financial contribution referred to in Article 7 of the Agreement shall be fixed at 
EUR 86 million  per  year3,  of  which  EUR 11  million  per  year  shall  be  allocated  by 
Mauritania  to  financial  support  for  the  implementation  of  the  national  fisheries 
policy, as provided for in Article 7(1)(b) of the Agreement, including EUR 1 million 
per  year  financial  support  for  the  Banc  d’Arguin  National  Park  (PNBA),  for  the 
period referred to in Article 1 of this Protocol.  

Paragraph 1 shall apply subject to Articles 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10 and 13 of this Protocol. 

The Community shall pay the financial contribution no later than 31 December 2006 
in the first year and no later than 1 August in the following years. 

The  financial  contribution  shall  be  paid  into  a  single  account  held  by  the  Islamic 
Republic  of  Mauritania’s Public Treasury with the Central Bank of Mauritania, the 
references of which shall be communicated by the Ministry. 

Subject  to  Article  6  of  this  Protocol,  the  allocation  of  this  contribution  and  of  the 
support  for  the  PNBA  shall  be  decided  within  the  framework  of  the  Mauritanian 
finance act and the Mauritanian State shall have full discretion regarding the use to 
which it is put.  

Plus the sum of the contributions to be paid by shipowners as provided for in Chapter III of Annex I, 
paid directly to Mauritania into the account provided for in Chapter IV of Annex I, which is estimated 
at EUR 22 million per year.  

1. 

2. 

3. 

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

3 

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1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

1. 

Article 3 
Scientific cooperation 

The  two  Parties  undertake  to  promote  responsible  fishing  in  Mauritanian  fishing 
zones on the basis of the principles of sustainable management.  

During  the  period  covered  by  this  Protocol,  the  two  Parties  shall  cooperate  to 
develop certain issues relating to the state of resources in Mauritanian fishing zones; 
to this end a Joint Scientific Committee shall meet at least once a year, in accordance 
with Article 4(1) of the Agreement. At the request of one of the Parties and where 
needed  within  the  framework  of  this  Agreement,  other  meetings  of  this  Scientific 
Committee may also be convened. 

Based on the conclusions of the work of the Joint Scientific Committee and the best 
available  scientific  advice,  the  two  Parties  shall  consult  each  other  within  the  Joint 
Committee provided for in Article 10 of the Agreement and, where necessary and by 
mutual agreement, adopt measures to ensure the sustainable management of fisheries 
resources. 

The  remit  of  the  Joint  Scientific  Committee  shall  cover  in  particular  the  following 
activities: 

(a) 

(b) 

(c) 

(d) 

drawing  up  an  annual  scientific  report  on  the  fisheries  covered  by  this 
Agreement; 

identifying  and  implementing  an  annual  programme  dealing  with  specific 
scientific issues in order to improve understanding of the state of resources and 
changes to ecosystems; 

studying,  under  a  procedure  agreed  by  consensus  within  the  Committee, 
scientific questions which arise in the course of implementing this Agreement; 

carrying out, among other things, and as required, exploratory fishing trips to 
determine  the  fishing  opportunities  and  exploitation  options  which  guarantee 
the conservation of resources and their ecosystem.  

Article 4 
Review of fishing opportunities 

The fishing opportunities referred to in Article 1 of this Protocol may be increased by 
mutual  agreement  provided  that  the  conclusions  of  the  Joint  Scientific  Committee 
referred  to  in  Article  4(1)  of  the  Agreement  confirm  that  such  an  increase  will  not 
endanger  the  sustainable  management  of  Mauritania’s  resources.  In  this  case  the 
financial  contribution  referred  to  in  Article  2(1)  of  this  Protocol  shall  be  increased 
proportionately  and  pro  rata  temporis.  However,  the  total  amount  of  the  financial 
contribution  paid  by  the  European  Community  shall  not  be  more  than  twice  the 
amount  indicated  in  Article  2(1)  of  this  Protocol  and  shall  remain  proportionate  to 
the increase in fishing opportunities. 

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2. 

3. 

4. 

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

Conversely,  if  the  Parties  agree  to  adopt  measures  as  referred  to  in  Article  3(3)  of 
this  Protocol  resulting  in  a  reduction  in  the  fishing  opportunities  provided  for  in 
Article 1 of this Protocol, the financial contribution shall be reduced proportionately 
and pro rata temporis. Without prejudice to Article 6 of this Protocol, this financial 
contribution  could  be  suspended  by  the  Community  if  it  is  not  possible  to  use  the 
fishing opportunities provided for in this Protocol. 

The allocation of the fishing opportunities among different categories of vessels may 
also  be  reviewed  by  mutual  agreement  between  the  Parties,  provided  that  any 
changes  comply  with  recommendations  made  by  the  Joint  Scientific  Committee 
regarding the management of stocks liable to be affected by such redistribution. The 
Parties  shall  agree  on  the  corresponding  adjustment  of  the  financial  contribution 
where the redistribution of fishing opportunities so warrants. 

The adjustments of fishing opportunities provided for in paragraphs 1, 2 and 3 shall 
be  decided  by  mutual  agreement  between  the  two  Parties  in  the  Joint  Committee 
provided for in Article 10 of the Agreement.  

Article 5  
Exploratory fishing 

The  Parties  may  carry  out  exploratory  fishing  trips  in  Mauritanian  fishing  zones, 
subject to an opinion by the Joint Scientific Committee provided for in Article 4 of 
the Agreement. To this end, they shall hold consultations whenever one of the Parties 
so  requests  and  determine,  on  a  case-by-case  basis,  relevant  new  resources, 
conditions and other parameters. 

Authorisations to carry out exploratory fishing shall be granted for test purposes for a 
period  of  no  more  than  six  months  and  in  accordance  with  Article  6(2)  of  the 
Agreement. They shall be subject to the payment of a fee. 

Where the Parties conclude that the exploratory fishing trips have produced positive 
results,  while  preserving  ecosystems  and  conserving  living  marine  resources,  new 
fishing  opportunities  may  be  awarded  to  Community  vessels  following  the 
consultation procedure provided for in Article 4 of this Protocol and until the expiry 
of  the  Protocol  and  in  accordance  with  the  allowable  effort.  The  financial 
contribution shall be increased in accordance with Article 4. 

Exploratory fishing shall be carried out in close collaboration with the Mauritanian 
Institute  of  Oceanographic  Research  and  Fisheries  (IMROP).  IMROP  shall  decide 
the composition of the team of researchers and observers to be taken on board. Their 
expenses shall be borne by the shipowners. The data produced by exploratory fishing 
shall  be  the  subject  of  a  report  by  IMROP  which  shall  be  communicated  to  the 
Ministry. 

Catches  made  during  exploratory  fishing  shall  be  the  property  of  the  shipowner. 
Catches  of  species  of  a  non-regulatory  size  and  species  which  may  not  be  fished, 
kept on board or sold under Mauritanian law shall be prohibited.  

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6. 

Unless  otherwise  provided  by  mutual  agreement  between  the  two  Parties,  vessels 
operating  under  exploratory  fishing  arrangements  shall  land  all  their  catches  in 
Mauritania. 

Article 6 
Contribution of the Fisheries Partnership Agreement to the implementation of Mauritania’s 
sectoral fisheries policy 

1. 

2. 

3. 

The  financial  support  referred  to  in  Article  7(1)(b)  of  the  Agreement  amounts  to 
EUR 11 million  per  year  in  accordance  with  Article  2(1)  of  this  Protocol.  This 
financial  support  shall  contribute  to  the  development  and  implementation  of  the 
Stratégie  Nationale  de  Développement  durable  du  secteur  des  Pêches  et  de 
l’Economie  Maritime  de  Mauritanie  (national  strategy  for 
the  sustainable 
development  of  Mauritania’s  fisheries  sector  and  marine  economy)  with  a  view  to 
introducing responsible fishing in its waters, and in particular to the areas of activity 
listed in paragraph 3 below and detailed in Annex IV and to the PNBA.  

Mauritania  shall  be  responsible  for  managing  the  amount  corresponding  to  the 
financial support referred to in paragraph 1 above, in the light of objectives identified 
by mutual agreement between the two Parties and of the programming to attain them. 

Notwithstanding the objectives identified by the two Parties and in accordance with 
the  priorities  of  the  Stratégie  Nationale  de  Développement  durable  du  secteur  des 
Pêches  et  de  l’Economie  Maritime  de  Mauritanie  and  with  a  view  to  ensuring 
sustainable and responsible management of the sector, the two Parties agree to focus 
on the following areas of assistance:  

(a) 

improving governance in the field of fisheries: 

– 

– 

– 

– 

support  for  the  controlled  development  of  small-scale  and  coastal 
fisheries, in particular by setting up, monitoring and evaluating fisheries 
development plans, 

programmes to promote a better understanding of fishery resources, 

support for fishing effort management, 

setting up specially adapted laboratories within the IMROP, modernising 
their equipment and developing systems for computerising and analysing 
statistics; 

(b) 

accelerating  the  integration  of  the  fisheries  sector  into  Mauritania’s  national 
economy: 

– 

developing  infrastructure,  in  particular  port  infrastructure,  by  means  of 
investment  programmes  such  as  the  refurbishment  of  the  port  of 
Nouadhibou  and  Nouakchott  fish  market  for  unloading  catches  from 
small-scale fishing, 

– 

financial support for the restructuring of the Mauritanian industrial fleet, 

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– 

– 

– 

setting up a programme of modernisation of the small-scale fishing fleet 
to  help  it meet health and  safety standards, including initiatives such as 
the replacement, in the long term, of wooden canoes with canoes made of 
more suitable materials which include means of conserving the catch, 

setting  up  programmes  of  support  and  investment  with  a  view  to 
improving  fisheries  surveillance,  such  as  the  creation  of  mooring 
pontoons in ports for use by the Surveillance authority and IMROP only, 
and  setting  up  a  training  programme  adapted  to  monitoring  techniques 
and technologies, in particular VMS, 

implementing programmes and initiatives to promote fisheries products, 
in  particular  through  measures  to  improve  the  health  and  plant-health 
conditions of the products landed and processed; 

(c) 

developing capacities in the sector and improving governance:  

– 

– 

– 

– 

setting  up  a  programme  of  training  and  support  for  improving  safety  at 
sea and rescue services, in particular for the small-scale fleet, 

setting up support programmes for the technical services of Mauritania’s 
Ministry of Fisheries and the Marine Economy involved in managing the 
sector, 

setting  up  an  action  plan  to  improve  the  effectiveness  of  the  services 
involved in managing the sector, 

setting  up  and  developing  the  system  for  managing  licences  and 
monitoring vessels. 

Article 7 
Methods of implementing the support for Mauritania’s sectoral fisheries policy 

1. 

Without prejudice to Article 6(3) of this Protocol, the European Community and the 
Ministry shall  agree,  within  the  Joint  Committee  provided  for  in  Article  10  of  the 
Agreement, in accordance with the guidelines laid down in Annex IV and from the 
entry into force of the Protocol, on:  

(a) 

(b) 

the  annual  and  multiannual  guidelines  steering  the  implementation  of  the 
priorities  of  Mauritanian  fisheries  policy  aiming  to  introduce  responsible 
fishing, and in particular those referred to in Article 6(3) of this Protocol;  

the  annual  and  multiannual  objectives  to  be  achieved  and  the  criteria  and 
indicators  to  be  used  to  permit  an  evaluation  of  the  results  obtained,  on  an 
annual basis. 

2. 

Any  amendment  of  these  guidelines,  objectives,  criteria  and  evaluation  indicators 
shall be approved by the two Parties within the Joint Committee. 

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3. 

4. 

1. 

2. 

3. 

1. 

2. 

3. 

For the first year of application of this Protocol, the allocation by Mauritania of the 
financial  support  referred  to  in  Article  6(1)  of  this  Protocol  shall  be  notified  to  the 
European  Community  at  the  time  when  the  guidelines,  objectives,  criteria  and 
evaluation  indicators  are  approved  within  the  Joint  Committee.  For  each  of  the 
following years, the Ministry shall notify the European Community of this allocation 
no later than 30 September of the previous year. 

No later than three months after the anniversary date of the entry into application of 
this  Protocol,  the  Ministry  shall  transmit  to  the  Delegation  an  annual  report  on  the 
implementation of the results achieved and any difficulties encountered. 

The Commission reserves the right to request additional information on these results 
from the Mauritanian authorities so as to launch consultations with the Mauritanian 
authorities within the Joint Committee provided for in Article 10 of the Agreement, 
in  order  to  adopt  corrective  measures  which  allow  the  given  objectives  to  be 
achieved. 

Article 8 
Economic integration of Community operators in the Mauritanian fisheries sector 

The two Parties shall undertake to promote the economic integration of Community 
operators into the fisheries sector in Mauritania as a whole.  

In order to develop the fresh products sector, by way of an incentive Mauritania shall 
grant  Community  operators  landing  fish  in  Mauritanian  ports  (in  particular  for  the 
purposes of sales to local industries, adding value to these products in Mauritania or 
transporting  catches  made  in  Mauritanian  fishing  zones  by  land)  a  reduction  in  the 
amount  of  fees,  in  accordance  with  Annex  I  to  this  Protocol  and  with  the  relevant 
Mauritanian law. 

The two Parties shall also decide to set up a task force to identify obstacles to direct 
Community investment in the fisheries sector in Mauritania, and the opportunities for 
such  direct  investment  or  possibilities  of  supporting  such  investment,  and  the 
measures easing the conditions governing it.  

Article 9 
Disputes – suspension of application of the Protocol 

Any  dispute  between  the  Parties  over  the  interpretation  of  this  Protocol  and  its 
Annexes  or  its  application  shall  be  the  subject  of  consultations  between  the  Parties 
within the Joint Committee provided for in Article 10 of the Agreement, in a special 
meeting if necessary. 

Application of the Protocol may be suspended at the initiative of one of the Parties if 
the dispute between the two Parties is deemed to be serious and if the consultations 
held within the Joint Committee under the above paragraph 1 have not resulted in an 
amicable settlement. 

Suspension of application of the Protocol shall require the interested Party to notify 
its intention in writing at least three months before the date on which suspension is 
due to take effect. 

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4. 

5. 

By  way  of  derogation  from  the  suspension  procedure  provided  for  in  the  above 
paragraphs 1, 2 and 3, the Community reserves the right to suspend application of the 
Protocol  immediately  in  the  event  of  failure  by  Mauritania  to  comply  with 
commitments  made  with  regard  to  implementation  of  its  sectoral  fisheries  policy. 
Such suspension shall immediately be notified to the Mauritanian authorities. 

In the event of suspension, the Parties shall continue to consult with a view to finding 
an amicable settlement to their dispute. Once such settlement is reached, application 
of  the  Protocol  shall  resume  and  the  amount  of  the  financial  contribution  shall  be 
reduced proportionately and pro rata temporis according to the period during which 
application of the Protocol was suspended. 

Article 10 
Suspension of application of the Protocol on grounds of non-payment 

Subject to Article 4, if the European Community fails to make the payments provided for in 
Article 2, application of this Protocol may be suspended on the following terms: 

(a) 

(b) 

The  Ministry  shall  notify  the  European  Commission  of  the  non-payment.  The 
Commission shall carry out the necessary checks and, where necessary, transmit the 
payment  within  no  more  than  30  working  days  of  the  date  of  receipt  of  the 
notification. 

If no payment is made and non-payment is not adequately justified within the period 
provided for in paragraph (a) above, the competent Mauritanian authorities shall be 
entitled  to  suspend  application  of  this  Protocol.  They  shall  inform  the  European 
Commission of such action forthwith. 

(c) 

Application  of  the  Protocol  shall  resume  as  soon  as  the  payments  concerned  have 
been made. 

Article 11 
National law 

Notwithstanding  the  provisions  of  the  Agreement,  the  activities  of  vessels  operating  under 
this Protocol and its Annexes, in particular landing, transhipment, the use of port services and 
the  purchase  of  supplies,  or  any  other  activity  shall  be  governed  by  the  national  laws  and 
regulations in force in Mauritania. 

Article 12 
Duration 

This Protocol and its Annexes shall apply for a period of two years from 1 August 2006. They 
may be renewed twice, each time for a period of two years, on the basis of tacit agreement 
between the Parties, unless notice of termination is given in accordance with Article 13. 

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Article 13 
Termination 

1. 

2. 

In the event of termination of the Protocol, the Party concerned shall notify the other 
Party  of  its  intention  to  withdraw  from  the  Protocol  in  writing  at  least  six  months 
before the date of expiry of the initial period or each additional period. 

Dispatch  of  the  notification  referred  to  in  the  previous  paragraph  shall  open 
consultations by the Parties. 

Article 14 
Entry into force 

This Protocol with its Annexes shall enter into force on the date of the entry into force of the 
Agreement.  

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Table of fishing opportunities 

Type of fishing 

CRUSTACEANS 

DEMERSAL FISHING 

CEPHALOPODS

PELAGIC FISHING 

Category 10 
Crab 

Category 6
Crawfish 

Category 2 
Black  hake 
trawlers and 
longliners 

Category 1 
Crustacea
ns other 
than 
crawfish 
and crab 

9 440 GT  300 GT 

300 GT 

3 600 GT 

Category 3 
Demersal 
species 
other than 
black hake 
with gear 
other than 
trawls 
2 324 GT 

Category 4 
Demersal 
trawlers 
targeting 
species 
other than 
black hake 

750 GT 

Category 5 
Cephalopods 

Category 7 
Tuna 
seiners 

Category 8 
Pole-and-
line  vessels 
and 
longliners 

Category 9 
Pelagic 
freezer 
trawlers 
(1) 

Category 11 
Non-freezer 
pelagic vessels 

18  600  GT 
43 vessels 

36 vessels 

31 vessels 

22 licences 

15000  GT  per 
month, 
averaged  over 
the year 

Maximum 
GT per 
licence 
period 

(1) Unused category 11 fishing opportunities (non-freezer pelagic vessels) may be used by category 9 (pelagic freezer trawlers) at a rate of a maximum 25 licences per month.  

EN 

26 

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FISHING CATEGORY 1: FISHING VESSELS SPECIALISING IN CRUSTACEANS OTHER THAN 
CRAWFISH AND CRAB 

(i) North of latitude 19°21’00” N, outside the zone marked by the following points: 

1. Fishing zone 

20°46’30” 

20°40’00” 

20°05’00” 

19°35’50” 

19°28’00” 

19°21’00” 

 N 

 N 

 N 

 N 

 N 

 N 

17°03’00” 

17°07’50” 

17°07’50” 

16°47’00” 

16°45’00” 

16°45’00” 

W 

W 

W 

W 

W 

W 

(ii) South of latitude 19°21’00” N, west of the six-mile line from the low-water mark. 

Once the development plan for shrimp is adopted, this zoning may be revised by mutual agreement between the Parties.  

Bottom shrimp trawl and other selective types of gear. 

2. Authorised gear 

The two Parties are to carry out technical trials with a view to drafting rules on selectivity, in particular: (i) selectivity grids 
for trawls, (ii) selective gear other than trawls. Selective gear are to be put into operation by 31 December 2009, following 
scientific, technical and economic evaluation of the results of these trials. 

Doubling of the cod-end is prohibited. 

Doubling of the twine forming the cod-end is prohibited. 

50 mm 

Two (2) months: September and October. 

3. Minimum authorised mesh 

4. Biological recovery 

The  two  Parties  may  decide  by  mutual  agreement  within  the  Joint  Committee  to  adjust,  increase  or  reduce  the  above 
biological recovery period, and to lay down closed periods in certain zones to protect nursery areas and areas with a high 
concentration of juvenile fish. 

5. By-catches 

In accordance with Mauritanian legislation.  
Where  Mauritanian  legislation  does  not  contain  any rules  on by-catches  of  certain  species, the  two  Parties  shall  consult 
within the Joint Committee to lay down the authorised rate. 

2006/07 

2007/08 

2008/09 

2009/10 

2010/11 

2011/12 

6. Authorised tonnage/Fees 

9 440 GT 

9 440 GT 

9 440 GT 

9 440 GT 

9 440 GT 

9 440 GT 

268 

280 

291 

303 

315 

315 

Authorised 
tonnage  (GT)  per 
licence period 
Fees  in  EUR  per 
GT per year 

7. Comments 

The fees are fixed for the two-year period of application of the Protocol, and for the two periods of tacit renewal laid down 
in Article 12 of the Protocol, giving a total of six years. 

Landings and transhipments encouraged under the terms of the Protocol and of Annex I.  

EN 

27 

   EN 

 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
FISHING CATEGORY 2: BLACK HAKE TRAWLERS (1) AND BOTTOM LONGLINERS 

1. Fishing zone 

1.1 (i) North of latitude 19°15’60” N, west of the line joining the following points: 
(i) 

20°46’30” 
20°36’00” 
20°36’00” 
20°03’00” 
19°45’70 
19°29’00” 
19°15’60” 
19°15’60” 

 N 
 N 
 N 
 N 
 N 
 N 
 N 
 N 

17°03’00”  W 
17°11’00”  W 
17°36’00”  W 
17°36’00”  W 
17°03’00”  W 
16°51’50”  W 
16°51’50”  W 
16°49’60”  W 

(ii) South of latitude 19°15’60” N as far as latitude 17°50’00” N, west of the 18-mile line from the low-water mark. 
(iii) South of latitude 17°50’00” N, west of the 12-mile line from the low-water mark. 

1.2 The zoning during the closed periods for cephalopod fisheries is as follows: 

(i) Between Cap Blanc and Cap Timiris, the exclusion zone is defined by the following points: 
17°03’00”  W 
17°47’00”  W 
17°47’00”  W 
17°14’00”  W 
16°55’00”  W 
16°51’50”  W 
16°49’60”  W 

20°46’00” 
20°46’00” 
20°03’00” 
19°47’00” 
19°21’00” 
19°15’60” 
19°15’60” 

 N 
 N 
 N 
 N 
 N 
 N 
 N 

(ii) South of Cap Timiris (south of latitude 19°15’60” N) and up to Nouakchott (17°50’00” N), the exclusion zone is the 18-
mile line from the low-water mark. 
(iii) South of Nouakchott (south of latitude 17°15’00” N), the exclusion zone is the 12-mile line from the low-water mark. 

2. Authorised gear 

- Bottom longline; 
- bottom trawl for hake. 
Doubling of the cod-end is prohibited. 
Doubling of the twine forming the cod-end is prohibited. 

70 mm for the trawl net. 

3. Minimum authorised mesh 

4. Biological recovery 
The two Parties shall agree within the Joint Committee and on the basis of the best available scientific advice approved by 
the Joint Scientific Committee on the most appropriate biological recovery period. 

5. By-catches:  

In accordance with Mauritanian legislation.  
Where  Mauritanian  legislation  does  not  contain  any  rules  on  by-catches  of  certain  species,  the  two  Parties  shall  consult 
within the Joint Committee to lay down the authorised rate. 

2006/07 

2007/08 

6. Authorised tonnage/Fees 
2008/09 

2009/10 

2010/11 

tonnage 

Authorised 
(GT) per licence period 
Fees in EUR per GT per 
year 

3 600 GT 

3 600 GT 

3 600 GT 

3 600 GT 

3 600 GT 

135 

142 

148 

153 

159 

2011/12 

3 600 GT 

159 

7. Comments 
The fees are fixed for the two-year period of application of the Protocol, and for the two periods of tacit renewal laid down in 
Article 12 of the Protocol, giving a total of six years. 
This category does not include freezer trawlers. 
Landings and transhipments encouraged under the terms of the Protocol and of Annex I. 

EN 

28 

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FISHING CATEGORY 3: VESSELS FISHING FOR DEMERSAL SPECIES OTHER THAN BLACK HAKE 
WITH GEAR OTHER THAN TRAWLS 

1. Fishing zone 

1.1 (i) North of latitude 19°48’50” N, from 3 nautical miles from the Cap Blanc - Cap Timiris baseline; 

(ii) South of latitude 19°48’50” N as far as latitude 19°21’00” N, west of longitude 16°45’00” W; 

(iii) South of latitude 19°21’00” N, from 3 nautical miles from the low-water mark. 
1.2 The zoning during the closed periods for cephalopod fisheries is as follows: 
(i) Between Cap Blanc and Cap Timiris: 

20°46’00” 

20°46’00” 

20°03’00” 

19°47’00” 

19°21’00” 

19°15’60” 

19°15’60” 

 N 

 N 

 N 

 N 

 N 

 N 

 N 

17°03’00” 

17°47’00” 

17°47’00” 

17°14’00” 

16°55’00” 

16°51’50” 

16°49’60” 

W 

W 

W 

W 

W 

W 

W 

(ii) South of Cap Timiris (south of latitude 19°15’60” N) and up to Nouakchott (17°50’00” N), the exclusion zone is 
the 3-mile line from the low-water mark. 

(iii)  South of Nouakchott  (south  of  latitude  17°15’00” N),  the  exclusion  zone  is  the 3-mile  line  from  the  low-water 
mark. 

– 

Longline; 

2. Authorised gear 

– 
monofilaments are banned under Mauritanian legislation; 

fixed gillnets with a maximum depth of 7 m and a maximum length of 100 m. Gillnets made of polyamide 

– 
– 
– 

handline; 
creels; 
seine for fishing for live bait. 

3. Minimum authorised mesh 

120 mm for the gillnet. 
16 mm for live bait fishing; 20 mm from 1 August 2007. 

4. By-catches 

In accordance with Mauritanian legislation.  
Where  Mauritanian  legislation  does  not  contain  any  rules  on  by-catches  of  certain  species,  the  two  Parties  shall 
consult within the Joint Committee to lay down the authorised rate. 

2006/07 

2007/08 

2008/09 

2009/10 

2010/11 

2011/12 

5. Authorised tonnage 

2 324 GT 

2 324 GT 

2 324 GT 

2 324 GT 

2 324 GT 

2 324 GT 

233 

244 

254 

264 

274 

274 

Authorised  tonnage  (GT) 
per licence period 
Fees  in  EUR  per  GT  per 
year 

6. Comments 
The fees are fixed for the two-year period of application of the Protocol, and for the two periods of tacit renewal laid 
down in Article 12 of the Protocol, giving a total of six years. 
The type of fishing gear to be used should be notified when applying for the licence. 
Seines may be used only to fish for bait for use in line and creel fishing. 
Use of creels is authorised for no more than seven vessels of under 135 GT each. 
Landings and transhipments encouraged under the terms of the Protocol and of Annex I. 
The  two  Parties  shall  agree  within  the  Joint  Committee  and  on  the  basis  of  the  best  available  scientific  advice 
approved by the Joint Scientific Committee on the most appropriate biological recovery period. 

EN 

29 

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FISHING CATEGORY 4: PELAGIC FREEZER TRAWLERS FISHING FOR DEMERSAL SPECIES 

1.1 (i) North of latitude 19°15’60” N, west of the line joining the following points: 

1. Fishing zone 

20°46’30” 

20°36’00” 

20°36’00” 

20°03’00” 

19°45’70” 

19°29’00” 

19°15’60” 

19°15’60” 

 N 

 N 

 N 

 N 

 N 

 N 

 N 

 N 

17°03’00” 

17°11’00” 

17°36’00” 

17°36’00” 

17°03’00” 

16°51’50” 

16°51’50” 

16°49’60” 

W 

W 

W 

W 

W 

W 

W 

W 

(ii) South of latitude 19°15’60” N as far as latitude 17°50’00” N, west of the 18-mile line from the low-water mark. 

(iii) South of latitude 17°50’00” N, west of the 12-mile line from the low-water mark. 

Trawl net. 

Doubling of the cod-end is prohibited. 

Doubling of the twine forming the cod-end is prohibited. 

2. Authorised gear 

70 mm 

Two (2) months: September and October. 

3. Minimum authorised mesh 

4. Biological recovery 

The two Parties may decide by mutual agreement within the Joint Committee to adjust, increase or reduce the above 
biological recovery period, and to lay down closed periods in certain zones to protect nursery areas and areas with a 
high concentration of juvenile fish. 

In accordance with Mauritanian legislation.  

5. By-catches:  

Where  Mauritanian  legislation  does  not  contain  any  rules  on  by-catches  of  certain  species,  the  two  Parties  shall 
consult within the Joint Committee to lay down the authorised rate. 

6. Authorised tonnage/Fees 

2006/07 

2007/08 

2008/09 

2009/10 

2010/11 

2011/12 

Authorised  tonnage  (GT)  per  licence 
period 

750 GT 

750 GT 

750 GT 

750 GT 

750 GT 

750 GT 

Fees in EUR per GT per year 

144 

150 

156 

163 

169 

169 

The fees are fixed for the two-year period of application of the Protocol, and for the two periods of tacit renewal laid 
down in Article 12 of the Protocol, giving a total of six years. 

Landings and transhipments encouraged under the terms of the Protocol and of Annex I. 

7. Comments 

EN 

30 

   EN 

 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
FISHING CATEGORY 5: CEPHALOPODS 

North of latitude 19°15’60” N, outside the zone marked by the following points: 

1. Fishing zone 

20°46’30” 

20°40’00” 

19°57’00” 

19°28’20” 

19°18’50” 

19°18’50” 

19°15’60” 

 N 

 N 

 N 

 N 

 N 

 N 

 N 

17°03’00” 

17°07’50” 

17°07’50” 

16°48’00” 

16°48’00” 

16°40’50” 

16°38’00” 

W 

W 

W 

W 

W 

W 

W 

South of latitude 19°15’60” N as far as latitude 17°50’00” N, west of the 9-mile line from the low-water mark. 

South of latitude 17°50’00” N, west of the 6-mile line from the low-water mark. 

2. Authorised gear 

Demersal trawling 

 Doubling of the cod-end is prohibited. 

 Doubling of the twine forming the cod-end is prohibited. 

70 mm 

Two (2) months: September and October. 

3. Minimum authorised mesh 

4. Biological recovery 

The two Parties may decide by mutual agreement within the Joint Committee, on the basis of the best available scientific 
advice, to adjust, increase or reduce the above biological recovery period, and to lay down closed periods in certain zones to 
protect nursery areas and areas with a high concentration of juvenile fish. 

In accordance with Mauritanian legislation.  

5. By-catches: 

Where  Mauritanian  legislation  does  not  contain  any  rules  on  by-catches  of  certain  species,  the  two  Parties  shall  consult 
within the Joint Committee to lay down the authorised rate. 

6. Authorised tonnage/Fees 

2006/07 

2007/08 

2008/09 

2009/10 

2010/11 

18 600 GT 

18 600 GT 

18 600 GT 

18 600 GT 

18 600 GT 

2011/20
12 

18600 
GT 

321 

335 

349 

363 

377 

377 

Authorised 
(GT) per licence period 

tonnage 

Fees in EUR per GT per 
year 

7. Comments 

The fees are fixed for the two-year period of application of the Protocol, and for the two periods of tacit renewal laid down 
in Article 12 of the Protocol, giving a total of six years. 

The authorised tonnage (GT) may vary by a maximum of 2%. 

Landings and transhipments encouraged under the terms of the Protocol and of Annex I. 

EN 

31 

   EN 

 
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
 
 
FISHING CATEGORY 6: CRAWFISH 

1. Fishing zone 

1.1 North of latitude 19°21’00” N, 20 nautical miles from the Cap Blanc - Cap Timiris baseline. 

1.2 South of latitude 19°21’00” N, 15 nautical miles from the low-water mark. 

Pot. 

2. Authorised gear 

Netting: 50 mm mesh; from 1 August 2007, 60 mm. 

3. Minimum authorised mesh 

4. Biological recovery 

Two (2) months: September and October. 

The two Parties may decide by mutual agreement within the Joint Committee to adjust, increase or reduce the above 
biological recovery period. 

In accordance with Mauritanian legislation.  

5. By-catches:  

Where  Mauritanian  legislation  does  not  contain  any  rules  on  by-catches  of  certain  species,  the  two  Parties  shall 
consult within the Joint Committee to lay down the authorised rate. 

6. Authorised tonnage/Fees 

2006/07 

2007/08 

2008/09 

2009/10 

2010/11 

2011/12 

Authorised  tonnage  (GT)  per 
licence period 

300 GT 

300 GT 

300 GT 

300 GT 

300 GT 

300 GT 

Fees in EUR per GT per year 

260 

271 

283 

294 

305 

305 

7. Comments 

The fees are fixed for the two-year period of application of the Protocol, and for the two periods of tacit renewal laid 
down in Article 12 of the Protocol, giving a total of six years. 

Landings and transhipments encouraged under the terms of the Protocol and of Annex I. 

EN 

32 

   EN 

 
 
 
 
FISHING CATEGORY 7: FREEZER TUNA SEINERS 

1.1 North of 19°21’00” N, 30 nautical miles from the Cap Blanc - Cap Timiris baseline. 

1. Fishing zone 

1.2 South of 19°21’00” N, 30 nautical miles from the low-water mark. 

– 

Seine net. 

Recommended ICCAT standard. 

2. Authorised gear 

3. Minimum authorised mesh 

4. By-catches:  

In accordance with Mauritanian legislation.  

Where  Mauritanian  legislation  does  not  contain  any  rules  on  by-catches  of  certain  species,  the  two  Parties  shall 
consult within the Joint Committee to lay down the authorised rate. 

5. Authorised tonnage/Fees 

 Fee  per 
caught 

tonne 

EUR 35 

Number of vessels 
authorised to fish 

36 

Advance  in  EUR 
per vessel per year 

EUR 1 750 

6. Comments 

The fees are fixed for the two-year period of application of the Protocol, and for the two periods of tacit renewal laid 
down in Article 12 of the Protocol, giving a total of six years. 

Landings and transhipments encouraged under the terms of the Protocol and of Annex I. 

EN 

33 

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FISHING CATEGORY 8: POLE-AND-LINE TUNA VESSELS AND SURFACE LONGLINERS 

1. Fishing zone 

For surface longliners, the zoning is the same as for tuna seiners in category 7. 

For pole-and-line tuna vessels, the following zoning applies:  
1.1 North of 19°21’00” N, 15 nautical miles from the Cap Blanc - Cap Timiris baseline; 

1.2 South of latitude 19°21’00” N, 12 nautical miles from the low-water mark. 

Fishing zone authorised for live-bait fishing: 

- North of latitude 19°48’50” N, from 3 nautical miles from the Cap Blanc - Cap Timiris baseline; 

- South of latitude 19°48’50” N as far as latitude 19°21’00” N, west of longitude 16°45’00” W; 

- South of latitude 19°21’00” N, from 3 nautical miles from the low-water mark. 

Pole-and-line and surface longlines. 

2. Authorised gear 

3. By-catches:  

In accordance with Mauritanian legislation.  
Where  Mauritanian  legislation  does  not  contain  any  rules  on  by-catches  of  certain  species,  the  two  Parties  shall 
consult within the Joint Committee to lay down the authorised rate. 

4. Authorised tonnage/Fees 

Number 
authorised to fish 

of 

vessels 

 31 

Pole-and-line  vessels  –  fee 
per tonne caught  

EUR 25  

Bottom  longliners  –  fee  per 
tonne caught  

EUR 35  

Advance  in  EUR  per  vessel 
per year 

EUR 2 500 for pole-and-line 
vessels 

EUR 3  500 
longliners 

for  bottom 

5. Comments 

The fees are fixed for the two-year period of application of the Protocol, and for the two periods of tacit renewal laid 
down in Article 12 of the Protocol, giving a total of six years. 
(1) Minimum authorised mesh size for live-bait fishing: Fishing for live bait will be limited to a number of days per 
month  laid  down  by  the  Joint  Committee.  The  start  and  end  of  such  fishing  must  be  notified  to  the  Surveillance 
authority. 
(2)  In  accordance  with  the  relevant  ICCAT  and  FAO  recommendations,  fishing  for  the  basking  shark  (Cetorhinus 
maximus), white shark (Carcharodon carcharias), sand tiger shark (Carcharias taurus) and tope shark (Galeorhinus 
galeus) is prohibited. 

(3)  In  accordance  with  ICCAT  recommendations  04-10  and  05-05  concerning  the  conservation  of  sharks  caught  in 
association with fisheries managed by ICCAT. 
(4) Landings and transhipments encouraged under the terms of the Protocol and of Annex I. 
(5) The two Parties shall agreement on the practical arrangements to allow this category to fish or collect the live bait 
needed  for  fishing  by  these  vessels.  Should  such  fishing  be  carried  out  in  sensitive  areas  or  with  non-conventional 
gear,  these  arrangements  shall  be  laid  down  on  the  basis  of  IMROP  recommendations  and  in  agreement  with  the 
Surveillance authority. 

EN 

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FISHING CATEGORY 9: PELAGIC FREEZER TRAWLERS 

1. Fishing zone 

(i) North of latitude 19°21’00” N, outside the zone marked by the following points: 

20°46’30” 

20°36’00” 

20°36’00” 

19°57’00” 

19°45’70” 

19°29’00” 

19°21’00” 

 N 

 N 

 N 

 N 

 N 

 N 

 N 

17°03’00” 

17°11’00” 

17°24’10” 

17°24’10” 

17°03’00” 

16°51’50” 

16°45’00” 

W 

W 

W 

W 

W 

W 

W 

(ii) South of latitude 19°21’00” N as far as 17°50’00” N, from 13 nautical miles from the low-water mark. 

(iii) South of latitude 17°50’00” N as far as 16°04’00” N, from 12 nautical miles from the low-water mark.  

Pelagic trawl. 

2. Authorised gear 

The bag of the pelagic or semi-pelagic trawl may be strengthened with a piece of netting with a minimum mesh size of 
400  mm  of  stretched  mesh  and  by  straps  placed  at  least  1.5  metres  apart,  except  for  the  strap  at  the  back  of  the  trawl 
which may not be placed less than 2 metres from the window in the bag. The strengthening or doubling of the bag for any 
other reason is prohibited and the trawl may in no case target species other than the small pelagic species authorised. 

40 mm 

In accordance with Mauritanian legislation.  

3. Minimum authorised mesh 

4. By-catches:  

Where Mauritanian legislation does not contain any rules on by-catches of certain species, the two Parties shall consult 
within the Joint Committee to lay down the authorised rate. 

5. Authorised tonnage/Fees 

Number 
vessels 
of 
authorised  to  fish  at  the 
same time 

22 

Fees in EUR per GT per year 

2006/07 

2007/08 

2008/09 

2009/10 

2010/11 

2011/12 

Vessels of below 5 000 GT 

Vessels  of  7  000  GT  or  above  but 
below 9 500 GT 

Vessels  of  7  000  GT  or  above  but 
below 9 500 GT 

8 

7 

6 

8.1 

7.1 

6.1 

8.2 

7. 2 

6.2 

8.3 

7.3 

6.3 

8.4 

7.4 

6.4 

8.5 

7.5 

6.5  

The maximum total allowable catch for the freezer trawler fleet under the above licence arrangements is 440 000 tonnes 
per year. The licences granted to these vessels shall specify the reference tonnage granted to each of them. Any overrun 
on this reference tonnage shall be subject to a supplementary fee of EUR 15 per tonne. 

6. Comments 

Unused  category  11  fishing  opportunities  (non-freezer  pelagic  vessels)  may  be  used  by  category  9  (pelagic  freezer 
trawlers) at a rate of a maximum 25 licences per month.  

The  fees  are  fixed  for  the  two-year  period  of  application  of  the  Protocol,  and  for  the  two  periods  of  tacit  renewal  laid 
down in Article 12 of the Protocol, giving a total of six years. 

Landings and transhipments encouraged under the terms of the Protocol and of Annex I. 

EN 

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FISHING CATEGORY 10: CRAB FISHING  

1. Fishing zone 

(i) North of latitude 19°15’60” N, west of the line joining the following points: 

20°46’30” 

20°36’00” 

20°36’00” 

20°03’00” 

19°45’70” 

19°29’00” 

19°15’60” 

19°15’60” 

 N 

 N 

 N 

 N 

 N 

 N 

 N 

 N 

17°03’00” 

17°11’00” 

17°36’00” 

17°36’00” 

17°03’00” 

16°51’50” 

16°51’50” 

16°49’60” 

W 

W 

W 

W 

W 

W 

W 

W 

(ii) South of latitude 19°15’60” N as far as latitude 17°50’00” N, west of the 18-mile line from the low-water mark. 

(iii) South of latitude 17°50’00” N, west of the 12-mile line from the low-water mark. 

Crab pot. 

2. Authorised gear 

3. Minimum authorised mesh 

Netting: 50 mm mesh; from 1 August 2007, 60 mm. 

Two (2) months: September and October. 

4. Biological recovery 

The two Parties may decide by mutual agreement within the Joint Committee, on the basis of the best available scientific 
advice, to adjust, increase or reduce the above biological recovery period, and to lay down closed periods in certain zones to 
protect nursery areas and areas with a high concentration of juvenile fish. 

In accordance with Mauritanian legislation.  
Where  Mauritanian  legislation  does  not  contain  any  rules  on  by-catches  of  certain  species,  the  two  Parties  shall  consult 
within the Joint Committee to lay down the authorised rate. 

6. Authorised tonnage/Fees 

5. By-catches:  

2006/07 

2007/08 

2008/09 

2009/10 

2010/11 

2011/12 

Authorised 
tonnage  (GT)  per 
year 

Fees  in  EUR  per 
GT per year 

300GT 

300 GT 

300 GT 

300 GT 

300 GT 

300 GT 

260 

271 

283 

294 

305 

305 

The fees are fixed for the two-year period of application of the Protocol, and for the two periods of tacit renewal laid down in 
Article 12 of the Protocol, giving a total of six years. 
Landings and transhipments encouraged under the terms of the Protocol and of Annex I. 

7. Comments 

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FISHING CATEGORY 11: NON-FREEZER PELAGIC VESSELS 

(i) North of latitude 19°21’00” N, outside the zone marked by the following points: 

1. Fishing zone 

20°46’30” 

20°36’00” 

20°36’00” 

19°57’00” 

19°45’70” 

19°29’00” 

19°21’00” 

 N 

 N 

 N 

 N 

 N 

 N 

 N 

17°03’00” 

17°11’00” 

17°24’10” 

17°24’10” 

17°03’00” 

16°51’50” 

16°45’00” 

W 

W 

W 

W 

W 

W 

W 

(ii) South of latitude 19°21’00” N as far as 17°50’00” N, from 13 nautical miles from the low-water mark. 

(iii) South of latitude 17°50’00” N as far as 16°04’00” N, from 12 nautical miles from the low-water mark.  

Pelagic trawl and purse seine for industrial fishing. 

2. Authorised gear 

The bag of the pelagic or semi-pelagic trawl may be strengthened with a piece of netting with a minimum mesh size of 
400 mm of stretched mesh and by straps placed at least 1.5 metres apart, except for the strap at the back of the trawl 
which may not be placed less than 2 metres from the window in the bag. The strengthening or doubling of the bag for 
any  other  reason  is  prohibited  and  the  trawl  may  in  no  case  target  species  other  than  the  small  pelagic  species 
authorised. 

40 mm for trawlers and 20 mm for seiners. 

3. Minimum authorised mesh 

4. By-catches:  

In accordance with Mauritanian legislation.  
Where  Mauritanian  legislation  does  not  contain  any  rules  on  by-catches  of  certain  species,  the  two  Parties  shall 
consult within the Joint Committee to lay down the authorised rate. 

Authorised tonnage 

5. Authorised tonnage/Fees 

15 000 GT per  month (annual average), equivalent to 3 monthly licences for pelagic freezer 
trawler in category 9. 
The averaging of monthly figures over a year shall mean that the average use per month at the 
end of a year of the Protocol corresponds to the above figure, with the possibility of carrying 
over unused quantities from one month to the following month. 

Fees  in  EUR  per  GT  per 
year 

2006/07 

2007/08 

2008/09 

2009/10 

2010/11 

7 

7.1 

7.2 

7.3 

7.4 

2011/12 

7.5 

6. Comments 
Unused  category  11  fishing  opportunities  (non-freezer  pelagic  vessels)  may  be  used  by  category  9  (pelagic  freezer 
trawlers) at a rate of a maximum 25 licences per month.  
The fees are fixed for the two-year period of application of the Protocol, and for the two periods of tacit renewal laid 
down in Article 12 of the Protocol, giving a total of six years. 
There is no limit on catches by non-freezer pelagic vessels.  
Transitional arrangements for taking seamen on board are laid down in Annex I (point 6 of Chapter XV). 
Landings and transhipments encouraged under the terms of the Protocol and of Annex I. 

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CONDITIONS FOR THE EXERCISE OF FISHING ACTIVITIES BY COMMUNITY VESSELS 
IN MAURITANIA’S FISHING ZONES 

ANNEX I 

CHAPTER I 

Documents required for licence applications 

1. 

On each vessel’s first licence application, the Commission, via the Delegation, shall 
submit to the Ministry a licence application form duly completed in respect of each 
vessel for which a licence is requested in accordance with the model in Appendix 1 
to this Annex. The particulars relating to the name of the vessel, its tonnage in GT, 
external registration number, radio call sign, engine power, overall length and home 
port shall be as contained in the fishing vessel register of the Community. 

2. 

On a first licence application, the shipowner shall include with the application: 

– 

– 

a  copy  certified  by  the  Member  State  of  the  international  tonnage  certificate 
giving the tonnage of the vessel expressed in GT; 

a  recent  colour  photograph  certified  by  the  competent  authorities  of  the 
Member  State  showing  a  side  view  of  the  vessel  in  its  current  state.  The 
photograph shall be at least 15 cm by 10 cm. 

3. 

Any  alteration  to  the  tonnage  of  a  vessel  shall  oblige  the  shipowner  concerned  to 
submit a copy certified by the Member State of the new tonnage certificate and any 
supporting  documents  concerning  the  alteration  and,  in  particular,  the  copy  of  the 
application lodged by the shipowner with the competent authorities, the agreement of 
those authorities and the details of the changes made. 

Where  the  structure  or  external  appearance  of  the  vessel  is  changed,  a  new 
photograph certified by the competent authorities of the Member State must also be 
submitted. 

4. 

Applications for fishing licences shall be lodged only for those vessels for which the 
documents required under points 1, 2 and 3 above have been sent. 

CHAPTER II 

Licences - application, issue and validity 

1. 

Eligibility to fish 

1.1. 

1.2. 

Each  vessel  wishing  to  fish  under  this  Agreement  must  be  eligible  for  fishing  in 
Mauritanian fishing zones. 

For a vessel to be eligible, neither the owner, the master nor the vessel itself must be 
prohibited  from  fishing  in  Mauritania.  They  must  be  in  order  vis-à-vis  the 
Mauritanian  authorities  insofar  as  they  must  have  fulfilled  all  prior  obligations 
arising from their fishing activities in Mauritania. 

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2. 

Licence applications 

2.1. 

For  licences  for  pelagic  fishing  vessels,  the  Commission,  via  the  Delegation,  shall 
submit licence applications to the Ministry at least ten working days before the start 
of  fishing  operations  accompanied  by  the  documents  attesting  to  the  technical 
characteristics. 

For all other types of licence, the Commission, via the Delegation, shall submit to the 
Ministry  quarterly  lists  of  the  vessels  by  fishing  category  wishing  to  engage  in 
fishing activities within the limits specified in the Fishing Datasheets included in the 
Protocol, at least one month before the start of the period of validity of the licences 
requested. Such lists shall be accompanied by proof of payment. Licence applications 
failing to arrive within the deadline will not be handled. 

These  lists  shall  specify  by  fishing  category,  the  number  of  vessels  and,  for  each 
vessel,  its  main  characteristics,  including  its  fishing  gear,  referred  to  in  the  fishing 
vessel  register  of  the  Community,  the  amount  of  payments  due  broken  down  by 
heading and the number of Mauritanian seamen. 

A  data  file  containing  all  the  particulars  required  to  draw  up  the  fishing  licences, 
including  any  amendments  to  the  vessel  data,  shall  also  be  attached  to  the  licence 
application in a format compatible with the software used by the Ministry. 

Licence applications shall be accepted only in respect of eligible vessels which have 
completed all the formalities specified in points 2.1, 2.2 and 2.3 above. 

Vessels  holding  fishing  licences  for  neighbouring  countries  may  indicate  in  their 
licence applications the country and species concerned and the period of validity of 
such licences to facilitate their multiple entries into and exits from the fishing zone. 

Any  personal  data  transferred  under  the  licence  applications  –  and  more  generally 
within the framework of this Agreement – may be used only within the framework of 
this Agreement.  

2.2. 

2.3. 

2.4. 

2.5 

2.6. 

3. 

Issue of licences 

3.1. 

3.2. 

3.3. 

The  Ministry  shall  issue  the  licences  to  the  vessel  following  submission,  by  the 
shipowner’s representative, of individual proofs of payment for each vessel (receipt 
of payment issued by the Mauritanian Public Treasury), as specified in Chapter IV, at 
least 10 days before the start of their period of validity. That deadline shall be five 
days  in  the  case  of  ocean-going  vessels.  The  licences  may  be  obtained  from  the 
offices of the Ministry in Nouadhibou or Nouakchott.  

indicate 

Licences  shall  also 
technical 
characteristics, the number of Mauritanian seamen and the payment references of the 
fees,  and  the  conditions  relating  to  fishing  activities  as  laid  down  in  the  relevant 
Fishing Datasheets. 

the  period  of  validity, 

the  vessel’s 

Fishing  licences  may  be  issued  only  for  vessels  which  have  complied  with  all  the 
administrative formalities required for the issue of licences. Vessels which receive a 
licence  will  be  entered  on  the  list  of  vessels  authorised  to  fish  which  will  be  sent 
simultaneously to the Surveillance authority and the Commission, via the Delegation. 

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3.4 

The Commission shall be notified of licence applications refused by the Mauritanian 
authorities, via the Delegation. Where appropriate, the Ministry shall provide a credit 
note  against  payments  relating  to  these  after  deduction  of  the  balance  of  any 
outstanding unpaid fines. 

3.5 

The two Parties shall seek agreement for the purposes of promoting the introduction 
of an electronic licence system. 

4. 

Validity and utilisation of licences 

4.1. 

Licences shall be valid only for the period covered by the fees paid under the terms 
laid down in the Fishing Datasheets and specified in the licence. 

Licences  shall  be  issued  for  periods  of  three,  six  or  twelve  months.  They  shall  be 
renewable. 

For  pelagic  vessels  (categories  9  and  11),  licences  may  be  monthly.  For  pelagic 
trawlers (category 9 only), licences shall indicate the authorised quota for that vessel 
(see point 3 of Chapter XV). Any unused quota in the period covered by the licence 
may  be  transferred  to  a  new  licence  for  the  same  vessel  or  transferred  to  another 
vessel in the same category.  

The period of validity of licences shall be determined on the basis of the following 
annual periods: 

first period: 

from 1 August 2006 to 31 December 2006 

second period: 

from 1 January 2007 to 31 December 2007 

third period: 

from 1 January 2008 to 31 December 2008 

fourth period: 

from 1 January 2009 to 31 December 2009 

fifth period: 

from 1 January 2010 to 31 December 2010 

sixth period: 

from 1 January 2007 to 31 December 2011 

seventh period: 

from 1 January 2012 to 31 July 2012. 

Licences may not start running during one annual period and expire during the next. 

4.2. 

4.3. 

4.4. 

Licences shall be issued for a given vessel and shall not be transferable. However, in 
the  event  of  force  majeure  duly  established  by  the  competent  authorities  of  the 
Member State and at the request of the Commission, a licence issued for one vessel 
shall  be  replaced  as  soon  as  possible  by  a  licence  issued  for  another  vessel  of  the 
same  category  on  condition  that  the  tonnage  authorised  for  that  category  is  not 
exceeded. 

The licence to be replaced shall be returned by the Commission via the Delegation to 
the Ministry, which shall then issue the new licence. 

Additional adjustments in the amounts paid as a result of replacement of the licence 
shall be effected before the replacement licence is issued. 

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4.5. 

Licences must be held on board the eligible vessel at all times and presented to the 
inspection authorities on the occasion of any inspection.  

CHAPTER III 

Fees 

1. 

2. 

3. 

Fees shall be calculated for each vessel on the basis of the annual rates laid down in 
the Fishing Datasheets included in the Protocol. In the case of three-month and six-
month  licences,  the  fees  shall  be  calculated  pro  rata  temporis,  plus  3%  and  2% 
respectively to cover recurrent costs in drawing up the licences. The amounts of such 
licence  fees  shall  include  all  related  fees  and  taxes,  with  the  exception  of  the 
parafiscal charge4, port taxes and service charges5. Until 31 July 2008, a share of two 
percent  of  the  amount  of  the  fees  corresponding  to  the  costs  of  observers  shall  be 
paid  to  a  specific  account  as  provided  for  in  Chapter  IV  of  this  Annex.  After  this 
period,  and  without  prejudice  to  Article  12  of  this  Protocol,  a  budgetary  allocation 
for financing the sworn body of independent scientific observers and inspectors shall 
be  entered  into  the  finance  act,  as  provided  for  in  Annex IV,  and  shall  replace  this 
percentage payment.  

Fees shall be payable in quarterly periods with the exception of the shorter periods 
stipulated in the Agreement or consequent on its application, in which case they shall 
be payable pro rata for the actual duration of the licence. 

A  quarter  shall  consist  of  one  of  the  three-month  periods  beginning  1  October, 
1 January, 1 April or 1 July, except for the first and last period of the Protocol which 
shall  run  from  01.08.2006  to  30.09.2006  and  from  01.03.2012  to  31.07.2012 
respectively. 

CHAPTER IV 

Methods of payment 

1. 

Payments shall be made in euro as follows: 

(a) 

fees: 

– 

by  transfer  to  one  of  the  foreign  accounts  of  the  Central  Bank  of 
Mauritania payable to the Mauritanian Public Treasury; 

Under the decree establishing the parafiscal charge, the rates of this charge for industrial fishing vessels, 
payable in local currency, are as follows: 

Fishing category: crustaceans, cephalopods and demersal species  Fishing category: (small and large) pelagics) 
Tonnage 
< 99 GT 
100-200 GT 
200-400 GT 
400-600 GT 
> 600 GT 

Amount per quarter (MRO) 
50.000 
100.000 
200.000 
400.000 
600.000 

Amount per quarter (MRO) 
50.000 
150.000 
500.000 
750.000 
1.000.000 
1.300.000 

Tonnage 
< 2000 GT 
-3000 GT 
3-5000 GT 
5-7000 GT 
7-9000 GT 
> 9000 GT 

The two Parties shall agree on the amount of the parafiscal charge to apply to tuna seiners. 

4 

5 

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(b) 

fees relating to the cost of scientific observers and the parafiscal charge: 

– 

by  transfer  to  one  of  the  foreign  accounts  of  the  Central  Bank  of 
Mauritania payable to the Surveillance authority; 

(c) 

fines: 

– 

by  transfer  to  one  of  the  foreign  accounts  of  the  Central  Bank  of 
Mauritania payable to the Mauritanian Public Treasury; 

(d)  penalties for licence increases: 

– 

by  transfer  to  one  of  the  foreign  accounts  of  the  Central  Bank  of 
Mauritania payable to the Ministry. 

2. 

3. 

The amounts referred to in point 1 above shall be considered as actually received on 
receipt of confirmation from the Treasury or the Ministry following notification by 
the Central Bank of Mauritania. 

Before the entry into force of the Protocol, the Mauritanian Authorities shall supply 
the Commission with a list of the Central Bank of Mauritania’s foreign accounts with 
the details required for international transfers (BIC and IBAN codes). 

CHAPTER V 

Communication of catch data 

1. 

The duration of a voyage by a Community vessel shall be defined as follows: 

– 

– 

– 

either the period elapsing between entering and leaving the Mauritanian fishing 
zone; 

or  the  period  elapsing  between  entering  the  Mauritanian  fishing  zone  and  a 
transhipment; 

or  the  period  elapsing  between  entering  the  Mauritanian  fishing  zone  and  a 
landing in Mauritania. 

2. 

Fishing log 

2.1. 

Masters  of  vessels  shall  make  a  daily  record  of  all  the  operations  specified  in  the 
fishing  log  as  shown  in  the  model  attached  as  Appendix  2  to  this  Annex.  This 
document must be completed correctly and legibly and signed by the master of the 
vessel. For vessels fishing for highly-migratory species, Chapter XIV of this Annex 
shall apply.  

2.2. 

Fishing  logs  from  which  entries  have  been  omitted  or  which  contain  invalid 
information shall be deemed not to have been duly kept. 

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2.3. 

2.4. 

2.5 

2.6 

At the end of each voyage, the original of the fishing log shall be sent by the master 
of  the  vessel  to  the  Surveillance  authority.  Within  15  working  days,  the  shipowner 
shall forward a copy of the log to the national authorities of the Member State and to 
the Commission, via the Delegation.  

Failure  to  comply  with  points  2.1,  2.2  or  2.3  above  shall  entail,  irrespective  of  the 
penalties laid down by Mauritanian law, automatic suspension of the fishing licence 
until the shipowner has met such obligations. 

The two Parties shall seek agreement for the purposes of promoting the introduction 
of an electronic logbook system. 

For  pelagic  vessels  (categories  9  and  11),  checks  on  catches  shall  take  place  on 
landing and on transhipment or at the end of the trip.  

3. 

Supplementary fishing log (landing and transhipment declarations) 

3.1. 

3.2. 

3.3. 

On landing or transhipment, masters of vessels are required to complete correctly and 
legibly and to sign the supplementary fishing log as shown in the model attached as 
Appendix 3 to this Annex. 

At  the  end  of  each  landing  operation,  the  shipowner  shall  send  the  original  of  the 
supplementary fishing log to the Surveillance authority, with a copy to the Ministry, 
within a period of no more than 30 days. Within the same period, a copy shall be sent 
to  the  national  authorities  of  the  Member  State  and  to  the  Commission,  via  the 
Delegation. 

At  the  end  of  each  authorised  transhipment,  the  master  shall  immediately  send  the 
original of the supplementary fishing log to the Surveillance authority, with a copy to 
the Ministry. Within 15 working days, a copy shall be sent to the national authorities 
of the Member State and to the Commission, via the Delegation. 

3.4. 

Failure to comply with points 3.1, 3.2 or 3.3 above shall entail automatic suspension 
of the fishing licence until the shipowner has met such obligations. 

4. 

Quarterly catch declarations 

4.1. 

4.2. 

4.3 

By the end of the third month of each quarter the Commission, via the Delegation, 
shall  notify  the  Ministry  of  the  quantities  caught  in  the  previous  quarter  by  all 
Community vessels. 

This information shall be broken  down  by  month  and  by  type  of  fishing,  by  vessel 
and by species. 

The  information  shall  also  be  sent  to  the  Ministry  in  the  form  of  a  data  file  in  a 
format compatible with the software used by the Ministry. 

5. 

Reliability of data 

The  information  in  the  documents  referred  to  in  points  1,  2,  3  and  4  above  must 
reflect  the  actual  fishing  situation  in  order  to  constitute  one  of  the  bases  for 
monitoring changes in marine resources. 

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CHAPTER VI 

By-catches 

1. 

2. 

3. 

In  accordance with Mauritanian law, the percentage  of by-catches  laid down  in  the 
Fishing  Datasheets  in  the  Protocol  shall  be  calculated  at  any  time  during  fishing 
according to the total live weight of the catch on board. 

Where  these  percentages  exceed  the  authorised  by-catches,  penalties  shall  be 
imposed in accordance with Mauritanian law and may result in the complete banning 
of the offenders, both masters and vessels, from all fishing activities in Mauritania. 

The keeping of unauthorised species on board vessels shall be forbidden. Offenders 
shall be punished in accordance with Mauritanian law. 

CHAPTER VII 

Landings in Mauritania 

In  the  interests  of  improving  integration  with  a  view  to  the  joint  development  of  their 
respective  fisheries  sectors,  the  Parties  have  agreed  to  encourage  voluntary  landings  and  to 
adopt the following provisions in respect of such landings in Mauritanian ports. 

GENERAL CONDITIONS AND FINANCIAL INCENTIVES 

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

6. 

Landings  shall  be  made  at  the  Mauritanian  port  of  Nouadhibou.  Shipowners  shall 
choose  the  landing  dates.  They  shall  inform  the  Mauritanian  port  authorities  of  the 
chosen  date  by  fax  or  e-mail  72  hours  before  their  expected  arrival  at  the  port, 
indicating the estimated total quantity to be landed. The port authorities shall confirm 
by  the  same  means  within  24  hours,  to  the  shipowner  or  agent,  that  the  landing 
operations can take place within 24 hours of the vessel’s arrival in port. 

Landing operations shall be completed within 24 hours of the vessel’s arrival in port. 

At the end of landing operations, the competent port authorities shall issue a landing 
certificate to the master. 

During  the  vessel’s  presence  in  port,  its  fishermen  shall  be  entitled  to  free  passage 
with a seaman’s licence. 

Community vessels making landings or transhipments in Mauritania shall have their 
licence  fees  reduced  for  the  period  during  which  the  landings  or  transhipments  are 
made.  The  reduction  shall  be  25%  of  the  cost  of  the  current  licence  for  vessels 
landing catches and 15% for vessels carrying out transhipments.  

Detailed  implementing  rules:  copies  of  the  landing  certificate(s)  for  the  landing 
operations carried out by the vessel concerned shall be sent to the Delegation. When 
submitting  a  new  licence  application  for  that  vessel,  the  Delegation  shall  send  the 
Ministry the copies of the certificates together with a request for reduction of the fees 
for the new licence. 

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7. 

Before  the  end  of  the  first  six  months  of  application  of  this  Protocol,  the  Ministry 
shall send the following information to the Delegation: 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

the general rules on landings, including port charges; 

the establishments approved under the relevant Community regulations; 

the bonded warehouses; 

the maximum size and number of vessels which can have access to them; 

storage  conditions  and  capacity  for  fresh,  chilled  and  deep-frozen  (-22°C) 
products; 

means  and  frequency  of  transport  to  bring  fresh  fishery  products  to  external 
markets; 

average supply prices and terms (fuel, provisions, etc.); 

radio call sign, telephone and fax numbers, telex addresses, working hours of 
the port authorities’ offices; 

– 

any other information which can facilitate landing operations. 

TAX AND FINANCIAL CONDITIONS 

Community vessels landing at Nouadhibou shall be exempt from all taxes or charges having 
an  equivalent  effect  other  than  port  fees  and  charges  which  apply  on  the  same  terms  to 
Mauritanian vessels. 

The fishery products landed shall be under customs control arrangements in accordance with 
Mauritanian  legislation.  They  shall  therefore  be  exempt  from  all  customs  procedures  and 
duties or charges having an equivalent effect when they enter the Mauritanian port or at the 
time of export, and shall be treated as ‘temporarily-admitted goods’ (temporary storage). 

Shipowners  shall  decide  on  the  destination  of  the  their  vessels’  production.  It  may  be 
processed, stored under customs control, sold in Mauritania or exported (in foreign currency). 

Sales in Mauritania intended for the Mauritanian market shall be subject to the same charges 
and levies as Mauritanian fishery products. 

Profits  may  be  exported  without  additional  charges  (exemption  from  customs  duties  and 
charges having an equivalent effect). 

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CHAPTER VIII 

Signing-on of Mauritanian seamen 

1. 

Apart from tuna seiners (which shall endeavour to sign on at least one Mauritanian 
seaman per vessel), pole-and-line tuna vessels (which must sign on three Mauritanian 
seamen  per  vessel,  and  pelagic  vessels  in  category  11  (for  which  transitional 
provisions are laid down in point 6 of Chapter XV of this Annex), each Community 
vessel shall sign on Mauritanian seamen for the duration of the voyage. There shall 
be at least: 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

2 seamen plus 1 officer or 1 observer for vessels of less than 200 GT; 

3  seamen  plus  1  officer  or 1  observer for vessels of at least  200  GT and  less 
than 250 GT; 

4  seamen  plus  1  officer  or 1  observer for vessels of at least  250  GT and  less 
than 300 GT; 

6 seamen and 1 officer for vessels of at least 300 and less than 350 GT; 

7 seamen and 1 officer for vessels of at least 350 and less than 500 GT; 

8 seamen and 1 officer for vessels of at least 500 and less than 800 GT;  

vessels of 800 GT or more and less than 2 000 GT shall sign on a number of 
seamen  equivalent  to  37%  of  the  crew,  but  not  less  than  8  seamen  and  2 
officer; 

vessels of 2 000 GT or more shall sign on a number of seamen equivalent to 
37% of the crew, but not less than 12 seamen and 2 officers.  

1.2 

1.3 

2. 

3. 

4. 

For  vessels  of  800  GT  or  more,  the  minimum  number  of  seamen  to  be  signed  on 
board shall be reduced by 2 for each additional officer taken on board.  

Shipowners shall be free to choose the Mauritanian  seamen  and  officers  to  sign  on 
their vessels in accordance with the Merchant Shipping Code. 

The  shipowner  or  agent  shall  inform  the  Ministry  of  the  names  of  the  Mauritanian 
seamen signed on the vessel concerned, mentioning their position in the crew. 

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) Declaration on Fundamental Principles 
and Rights at Work shall apply as of right to seamen signed on by EU vessels. This 
concerns in particular the freedom of association and the effective recognition of the 
right  to  collective  bargaining,  and  the  elimination  of  discrimination  in  respect  of 
employment and occupation. 

Mauritanian seamen’s employment contracts, a copy of which shall be given to the 
signatories,  shall  be  drawn  up  between  the  shipowners’  agent(s)  and  the  seamen 
and/or  their  trade  unions  or  representatives  in  consultation  with  the  competent 
Mauritanian  authorities.  These  contracts  shall  guarantee  the  seamen  the  social 

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5. 

6. 

7. 

8. 

9. 

10. 

1. 

security cover applicable to them, including life assurance and sickness and accident 
insurance.  

Shipowners or their agents shall send, within two months of the issue of the licence, 
a copy of that contract duly signed by the competent authorities of the Member State 
concerned direct to the Ministry.  

Mauritanian  seamen’s  wages  shall  be  paid  by  the  shipowners.  They  shall  be  fixed, 
before  licences  are  issued,  by  mutual  agreement  between  the  shipowners  or  their 
agents and the Mauritanian seamen concerned or their representatives. However, the 
wage conditions granted to Mauritanian seamen shall not be lower than those applied 
to  Mauritanian  crews  and  shall  comply  with  ILO  standards  and  under  no 
circumstances be below those standards. 

If  one  or  more  seamen  employed  on  board  fail  to  report  at  the  time  agreed  for  the 
vessel’s  departure,  the  vessel  shall  be  permitted  to  start  the  planned  trip  after 
informing the competent authorities in the port of embarkation of the shortfall in the 
number  of  seamen  required  and  having  updated  its  crew  list.  The  authorities 
concerned shall notify the Ministry thereof. 

The  shipowner  shall  take  all  necessary  steps  to  ensure  that  the  number  of  seamen 
required by this Agreement sign on the vessel by the next trip at the latest.  

Where  no  Mauritanian  seamen  are  taken  on  board  for  reasons  other  than  that 
specified  to  in  the  previous  point,  shipowners  shall  be  obliged  to  pay  as  soon  as 
possible a flat-rate amount of EUR 20 per day of fishing in the Mauritanian fishing 
zone per seaman within a maximum of three months. 

This sum shall be used for training Mauritanian fishermen and shall be paid into the 
account specified in point 1(b) of Chapter IV to this Annex. 

Twice  a  year,  on 1  January  and  1  July,  the  Commission,  via  the  Delegation,  shall 
send the Ministry a list of Mauritanian seamen signed on Community vessels, with 
details of their registration as crew members and the vessels concerned. 

Without  prejudice  to  point  7  above,  recurring  failure  by  shipowners  to  sign  on  the 
requisite number of Mauritanian seamen shall result in automatic suspension of the 
vessels’ fishing licence until such obligations have been met. 

CHAPTER IX 

Technical inspection 

Once  a  year  and  after  any  alteration  in  tonnage  or  changes  to  the  fishing  category 
necessitating the use of a different type of gear, all Community vessels shall report to 
the  port  of  Nouadhibou  or  Nouakchott  to  undergo  the  inspections  required  by  the 
legislation in force. Such inspections shall take place within 48 hours of the vessel’s 
arriving in port. 

The technical inspection procedures applying to tuna vessels, surface longliners and 
pelagic fishing vessels shall be as laid down in Chapters XIV and XV of this Annex. 

EN 

47 

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2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

1. 

2. 

Once the inspection has been completed satisfactorily, the master of the vessel shall 
be issued with a certificate having the same period of validity as the licence which 
shall be automatically extended, free of charge, in the case of vessels renewing their 
licence within the year. This certificate must be kept on board at all times. 

The  technical  inspection  shall  check  the  conformity  of  the  vessel’s  technical 
characteristics  and  gear  and  ensure  that  the  provisions  relating  to  its  Mauritanian 
crew have been complied with. 

The cost of the inspection, at the rates laid down by Mauritanian law, shall be borne 
by the shipowner and communicated to the Community. It may not be greater than 
the amount normally paid by other vessels for the same services. 

Failure to comply with points 1 or 2 above shall entail automatic suspension of the 
fishing licence until the shipowner has met such obligations. 

CHAPTER X 

Vessel identification 

The  identification  marks  of  all  Community  vessels  must  conform  to  the  relevant 
Community legislation. The Ministry must be notified of such legislation before this 
Protocol enters into force. The Ministry must further be notified of any amendment 
to the legislation at least 1 month before its entry into force. 

Any  vessel  which  conceals  its  markings,  name  or  registration  shall  be  liable  to  the 
penalties provided for by Mauritanian law. 

CHAPTER XI 

Suspension or withdrawal of licences 

Where the Mauritanian authorities decide to suspend or definitively withdraw the licence of a 
Community  vessel,  in  application  of  this  Protocol  and  Mauritanian  law,  the  master  of  that 
vessel  shall  immediately  cease  fishing  activities  and  make  for  the  port  of  Nouadhibou  to 
submit the original licence to the Surveillance authority. Once the required obligations have 
been  duly  completed,  the  Ministry  shall  notify  the  Commission,  via  the  Delegation,  of  the 
lifting of the suspension and the licence shall be returned. 

CHAPTER XII 

Infringements 

1. 

2. 

All infringements shall be penalised in accordance with Mauritanian law. 

In  the  event  of  serious  or  very  serious  fisheries  infringements  as  defined  by 
Mauritanian law, the Ministry reserves the right to prohibit the vessels, masters and, 
where  applicable,  the  shipowners  involved  in  committing  such  infringements, 
provisionally or definitively from all fishing activities in Mauritanian waters. 

EN 

48 

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CHAPTER XIII 

Fines 

The amount of fines  imposed  on  Community vessels shall be calculated in accordance with 
Mauritanian  law  within  minimum  and  maximum  limits  specified  in  Mauritanian  law.  This 
amount shall be decided in accordance with the procedure laid down in point 3 of Chapter VI 
of Annex II. The amount of the fine imposed shall be converted into euro by the Surveillance 
authority at the rate applied by the Central Bank of Mauritania at the time of the infringement, 
and  the  two  amounts  shall  be  notified  at  the  same  time  to  the  shipowner  and  to  the 
Commission, via the Delegation. 

Mauritanian  law,  and  any  subsequent  amendments  thereto,  shall  be  communicated  to  the 
Community. 

CHAPTER XIV 

Provisions relating to vessels fishing highly migratory species 

(tuna vessels and surface longliners) 

1. 

Licences for tuna seiners, pole-and-line tuna vessels and surface longliners shall be 
issued  for  periods  which  coincide  with  calendar  years  except  for  the  first  and  last 
year of this Protocol. 

The original licence must be kept on board at all times and presented on request of 
the competent Mauritanian surveillance authorities. The European Community shall 
keep  an  up-to-date  draft  list  of  the  vessels  for  which  a  fishing  licence  has  been 
applied  for  under  this  Protocol.  This  draft  shall  be  notified  to  the  Mauritanian 
authorities as soon as it is drawn up, and then each time it is updated. On receipt of 
this draft list and of notification of payment of the advance sent to the Mauritanian 
authorities  by  the  Commission,  the  vessel  shall  be  entered  by  the  competent 
Mauritanian authority on a list of vessels authorised to fish, which shall be sent to the 
authorities responsible for fisheries inspection. A certified copy of this list shall then 
be sent to the shipowner to be kept on board instead of the fishing licence until the 
licence has been issued. 

On presentation of the proof of payment of the advance, the Ministry shall draw up 
the  licence  and  enter  the  vessel  concerned  on  the  list  of  vessels  authorised  to  fish 
which  shall  be  sent  to  the  Surveillance  authority  and  to  the  Commission,  via  the 
Delegation.  

2. 

Before  receiving  its  licence,  each  vessel  must  be  presented  for  the  inspections 
required by the legislation in force. Such inspections may be carried out in a foreign 
port  to  be  agreed.  All  expenses  linked  to  such  inspection  shall  be  borne  by  the 
shipowner. 

EN 

49 

   EN 

 
3. 

4. 

5. 

6. 

7. 

8. 

Licences  shall  be  issued  following  payment  to  one  of  the  foreign  accounts  of  the 
Central Bank of Mauritania, payable to the Mauritanian Public Treasury, of a lump 
sum  corresponding  to  the  advance  specified  in  the  Fishing  Datasheets  in  the 
Protocol. This lump sum shall be established pro rata temporis to the validity of the 
licence for the first and last year of the Agreement6. 

A logbook in accordance with the ICCAT model in Appendix 4 to this Annex shall 
be  kept  on  vessels  for  each  fishing  period  spent  in  Mauritanian  waters.  It  shall  be 
filled in even when no catches are made. 

For  periods  when  a  vessel  is  not  in  Mauritanian  waters,  the  words  “Outside 
Mauritania’s EEZ” shall be entered in the above logbook. 

Within  15  working  days  of  vessels  arriving  in  the  port  of  landing,  the  logbooks 
referred to in this point shall be sent to the Ministry and to the national authorities of 
the Member State.  

Failure  to  comply  with  one  of  the  above  provisions  shall  entail,  irrespective  of  the 
penalties laid down by Mauritanian law, automatic suspension of the fishing licence 
until the shipowner has met such obligations. 

Subject  to  any  checks  Mauritania  may  wish  to  carry  out,  by  15  June  each  year  the 
Commission, via the Delegation, shall submit to the Ministry a statement of fees due 
for  the  previous  fishing  year  on  the  basis  of  the  catch  declarations  made  by  each 
shipowner  and  confirmed  by  the scientific  institutes  responsible  for  verifying  catch 
data  in  the  Member  States,  such  as  the  IRD  (Institut  de  Recherche  pour  le 
Développement),  IEO  (Instituto  Español  de  Oceanografía),  INIAP  (Instituto 
Nacional  de  Investigação  Agrária  e  das  Pescas)  and  IMROP  (Institut  Mauritanien 
de Recherches Océanographiques et des Pêches). 

For the last year of application of the Agreement, the statement of the fees due for 
the previous year shall be notified within four months of expiry of the Agreement. 

The  final  statement  shall  be  sent  to  the  shipowners  concerned,  who  shall  have  30 
days, from the notification and the approval of the amounts by the Ministry, within 
which  to  discharge  their  financial  obligations  to  the  competent  national  authorities. 
Payment  made  out  in  euro,  payable  to  the  Mauritanian  Public  Treasury  to  one  of 
accounts mentioned in Chapter IV, shall be made no later than one and a half months 
after that notification. 

However, if the amount of the final statement is lower than the advance referred to in 
point  4  of  this  Section,  the  resulting  balance  shall  not  be  reimbursable  to  the 
shipowner. 

As an exception to Chapter I of Annex II, vessels shall be obliged within the three 
hours  before  entering  or  leaving  the  zone  to  communicate  their  position  and  the 
volume of the catch on board direct to the Mauritanian authorities, preferably by fax 
or, failing that, by radio. 

6 

The two Parties shall agree on the amount of the parafiscal charge to apply to tuna seiners. 

EN 

50 

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9. 

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

6. 

The fax number and radio frequency shall be notified by the Surveillance authority. 

A copy of the fax messages or of the record of radio communications shall be kept 
by the Mauritanian authorities and the shipowners until both Parties have approved 
the final statement of fees referred to in point 5. 

At  the  request  of  the  Mauritanian  authorities  and  by  mutual  agreement  with  the 
shipowners concerned, tuna seiners shall take a scientific observer on board. 

CHAPTER XV 
Rules on pelagic fishing vessels 

The original licence must be kept on board at all times and presented on request of 
the  competent  Mauritanian  authorities.  If  for  practical  reasons  the  original  licence 
cannot  be  delivered  to  the  vessel  immediately  after  it  is  issued  by  the  Ministry,  a 
copy or fax may also be kept on board for a maximum ten days. 

Technical inspections of the vessels may take place in Europe. In this case, the travel 
and  subsistence  expenses  of  two  persons  designated  by  the  Ministry  to  carry  out 
these inspections shall be payable by the shipowners. 

The  amounts  of  such  licence  fees  shall  include  all  related  fees  and  taxes,  with  the 
exception of the parafiscal charge, port taxes and service charges. 

For  each  tonne  caught  in  excess  of  the  reference  tonnage  allocated  to  each  pelagic 
freezer trawler in category 9, shipowners shall pay a sum of EUR 15 per tonne to the 
Mauritanian  Public  Treasury.  Declarations  of  catch  shall  be  drawn  up  by  mutual 
agreement within a period to be agreed between the Parties.  

The principle of a ceiling on catch shall not apply to non-freezer pelagic vessels in 
category 11. 

The fees and any additional amounts due shall be paid to one of the Central Bank of 
Mauritania’s foreign accounts payable to the Mauritanian Public Treasury. 

Pelagic  fishing  vessels  shall  notify  the  Surveillance  authority  of  their  intention  to 
enter or leave Mauritanian fishing zones 12 hours in advance of entry and 36 hours in 
advance of exit. When notifying exit, vessels shall also communicate the volume of 
and species in catches kept on board. 

Shipowners must take all appropriate measures to transport the Mauritanian seamen 
and scientific observers at their expense. 

Category 11 pelagic vessels shall be subject to the following rules as regards signing-
on seamen: 

– 

– 

during the first six months of fishing in Mauritanian fishing zones, vessels shall 
be exempted from signing on Mauritian seamen; 

during  the  following  six  months  of  fishing,  vessels  shall  sign  on  50%  of  the 
seamen provided for in point 1 of Chapter VIII. 

EN 

51 

   EN 

 
At  the  end  of  these  two  six-month  periods,  point  1  of  Chapter  VIII  shall  apply  to 
category 11 vessels. 

EN 

52 

   EN 

 
Appendix 1 

MAURITANIA - EUROPEAN COMMUNITY FISHING AGREEMENT 

APPLICATION FORM FOR A FISHING LICENCE 

I - APPLICANT 

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

Name of shipowner: .................................................................................................................................................... 

Name of the shipowner’s association or representative: ................................................................................................ 

Address of the shipowner’s association or representative: ............................................................................................ 

................................................................................................................................................................................ 

Telephone: ...........................................  Fax: ................................... 

Telex:.............................................. 

Name of master: .................................................................................. 

Nationality: ..................................... 

II - VESSEL: 

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

6. 

7. 

Name of vessel: ......................................................................................................................................................... 

Flag country: ............................................................................................................................................................. 

External registration number: ...................................................................................................................................... 

Home port: ............................................................................................................................................................... 

Date and place of construction: ................................................................................................................................. 

Radio call sign: ..................................  Call frequency: ......................................................................................... 

Hull construction material: 

Steel (cid:133) 

Wood (cid:133) 

Polyester (cid:133) 

Other (cid:133) 

III - TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS AND EQUIPMENT 

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

6. 

7. 

8. 

9. 

Overall length: .................................................. 

Width of vessel: ................................................................... 

Tonnage (GT): .......................................................................................................................................................... 

Horse power of main engine: : ................ 

Make: .............................. 

Type: ................... 

Type of vessel: .................................................. 

Fishing category: .............................................................. 

Fishing gear: ............................................................................................................................................................. 

Crew complement: ................................................................................................................................................... 

Method of conservation on board:  Fresh (cid:133) 

Cold storage (cid:133) 

Mixed (cid:133) 

Freezing (cid:133) 

Freezing capacity in tonnes/24 hours: ........................................................................................................................ 

Hold capacity: ................................................. 

Number: .......................................................... 

Done at .............................................................., on ................................... 

Signature of applicant: .................................................................................. 

EN 

53 

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H 
E 
A 
D 
I 
N 
G 
No 1 

Date 

(12) 

ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF MAURITANIA 
FISHING LOG 

Appendix 2 

Name of vessel (1) …………………………….. 
Radio call sign (2)………………………………. 
Master’s name (3)…………………………… 

Left (4)………………. 

Date (6) 

Returned (5)………………... 

Date (6) 

Day 

Month 

Year 

Time 

Fishing gear (7) 

Gear code (8) 

Mesh size (9) 

  Gear measurements (10) 

Statisti
cal 
sector 
(13) 

Fishing 
time 
(hours) 

HEADING No 2 
Number 
of 
fishing  
operatio
ns 
(14) 

(15) 

Master’s signature (11) 

HEADING No 3: Delete list A or B (whichever is unused) 

Estimate of quantities caught per species (in kg) (16) 

(or comments if fishing is interrupted) 

Horse 
mack-
erel 
A 

Craw-
fish  
B 

Sardines 

Sardin
-ellas  

Anch-
ovy 

Mack-
erel 

Scab-
ard-
fishes 

Tunas 

Hake  Red 

Squid  Cuttle-

bream  

fish 

Octopus  Shrimps  Prawns  Other 
fishes 

  Deep-
water 
shrimps 

Deep-
water 
rose 
shrimp 

Blue-
and-red 
shrimp 

Other 
shrimp 

Alba-
core 

Pink 
spiny 
lobster 

Other 
crust-
aceans 

Rough 
ray 

Hake 

Other 
fish 

Misc. 
cephalo-
pods 

Misc. 
shells 

HEADING No 4 

Total 
Weight 
of catch 

(kg) 

(17) 

Total 
Weight 
of fish  

Total weight 
of fish meal 

(kg) 

(kg) 

(18) 

(19) 

EN 

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ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF MAURITANIA 
LANDING/TRANSHIPMENT DECLARATION 

Appendix 3 

(A) 

Name of vessel (1)……………..…….. 
Radio call sign (2)……………....……. 
Master’s name (3) .…………….…… 

Left (4)………………. 

Date (6) 

Returned (5)………………... 

Date (6) 

Nationality 

Call sign 

Name of receiving vessel 

Day 

Month 

Year 

Time 

GIVE WEIGHT IN KG 

Species 

(B) 

Commercial 
grade 
(C) 

Presentation 

Net weight 

Selling price 

Currency 

Species 

(D) 

(E) 

(F) 

(G) 

(B) 

Commercial 
grade 
(C) 

Presentation 

Net weight 

Selling price 

Currency 

(D) 

(E) 

(F) 

(G) 

Signature of the master of the vessel 

EN 

55 

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Appendix 4 

ICCAT LOGBOOK FOR TUNA FISHERY 

Name of vessel: ……………...……………………………………………………. Grosse tonnage: 

Month  Day  Year 

Port 

Flag country:   
……………………………………………………………………...........................

………………………………………………….............................
Capacity – (M.T.): …………………………….……………........ 

Vessel DEPARTED: 

Registration No: 
………………………………………………………………...................................
No of crew: 
Shipowner: 
…………………………………………………………………….......................... 
….…………………………………………………........................
Address: ………………………………………………………………………….... Reporting date: ………………………………………………...... 

Captain: ……………………………………………………….... 

Vessel 
RETURNED: 

(Reported by):  
……………………………………………….................................

Longline 

Live bait 

Purse seine 

Trawl 

Outros (Others) 

No of days at sea: 

Trip number: 

No of fishing days: 

No of sets made: 

Capturas (Catches) 

Isco usado na pesca 
(Bait used) 

Yellowfin tuna 

(Bigeye tuna) 

(Albacore) 

(Swordfish) 

Thunnus 
albacares 

Thunnus 
obesus 

Thunnus 
alalunga 

Xiphias 
gladius 

No 

kg 

No 

kg 

No 

kg 

No 

kg 

(Strip marlin) 
(White marlin 

Tetraptunus 
audax or albidus 
kg 

No 

(Black marlin)

(Sailfish) 

Skipjack 

Makaira 
indica 

Istiophorus albicane 
or platypterus 

Katsuwonus 
pelamis 

(Miscellaneous fish) 

Daily total 

(weight in kg 
only) 

y
r
u
a
S

d
i
u
q
S

t
i
a
b

e
v
i
L

(Other) 

No 

kg 

No 

kg 

No 

kg 

No 

kg 

No 

kg 

Date 

Sector 

Month  Day 

S
/
N
e
d
u
t
i
t
a
L

e
d
u
t
i
g
n
o
L

O
E

/

Surface 
water 
temp 
(ºC) 

Fishing effort 
No  of  hooks 
used 

Bluefin tuna 

Thunnus 
thynnus or 
maccoyi 
No  Weigh

t 
kg 

LANDING WEIGHT (IN KG) 
Notes 

1 – Use one sheet per month, and one line per day. 

3 – “Day” refers to the day you set the line. 

5  -  The  last  line  (landing  weight)  should  be  completed  only  at  the  end  of  the  trip.  Actual 
weight at the time of unloading should be recorded. 

2 - At the end of each trip, forward a copy of the log to your correspondent 
or to the ICCAT, Calle Corazón de María, 8, 28002 Madrid, Spain. 

4 - Fishing area refers to the position of the boat. Round off minutes and record 
degree of latitude and longitude. Be sure to record N/S and E/W. 

6 - All information reported herein will be kept strictly confidential. 

EN 

56 

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COOPERATION IN THE MONITORING OF FISHING ACTIVITIES BY COMMUNITY 
VESSELS IN MAURITANIA’S FISHING ZONES 

ANNEX II 

Chapter I 
Entering and leaving the fishing zone 

1. 

Except for tuna vessels, surface longliners and pelagic fishing vessels (for which the 
deadlines shall be as laid down in Chapters  XIV  and  XV  of  Annex  I),  Community 
vessels operating under this Agreement must report: 

(a) 

entry: 

notice  must  be  given  at  least  36  hours  beforehand  and  contain  the  following 
particulars: 

– 

– 

– 

the position of the vessel at the time of notification, 

the day, date and approximate time of entering Mauritania’s EEZ, 

the amount and species of catch held on board at that time, where vessels have 
previously stated that they hold a fishing licence for another fishing zone in the 
subregion,  in  which  case  the  Surveillance  authority  will  have  access  to  the 
fishing log concerning that zone and any checks may not last longer than the 
period laid down in point 4 of this Chapter; 

(b) 

exit: 

notice  must  be  given  at  least  48  hours  beforehand  and  contain  the  following 
particulars: 

– 

– 

– 

the position of the vessel at the time of notification, 

the day, date and time of leaving Mauritania’s EEZ, 

the amount and species of catch held on board at that time. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

Shipowners  shall  notify  the  Surveillance  authority  of  their  entry  into  and  exit  from 
Mauritania’s EEZ by fax, e-mail or mail to the fax numbers or address in Appendix 1 
to this Annex. 

The  Commission,  via  the  Delegation,  shall  be  given  15  days  prior  notice  of  any 
changes in the numbers or addresses for notification. 

During  their  presence  in  the  Mauritanian  EEZ,  Community  vessels  shall  regularly 
monitor international call frequencies (VHF Channel 16 or HF 2182). 

On  receipt  of  messages  notifying  exit  from  the  fishing  zone,  the  Mauritanian 
authorities  reserve  the  right  to  decide  whether  to  carry  out  a  check  prior  to  the 
departure  of  vessels,  on  the  basis  of  sampling  within  Nouadhibou  or  Nouakchott 
port.  

EN 

57 

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Such checks shall not last more than 3 hours. 

5. 

Failure  to  comply  with  the  provisions  of  points  1  to  3  above  shall  result  in  the 
following sanctions:  

(a) 

the first time: 

– 

– 

the vessel shall be diverted, if possible, 

the  catch  on  board  shall  be  unloaded  and  confiscated  on  behalf  of  the 
Treasury, 

– 

the vessel shall pay the minimum fine provided for in Mauritanian law; 

(b) 

the second time: 

– 

– 

– 

– 

the vessel shall be diverted, if possible, 

the  catch  on  board  shall  be  unloaded  and  confiscated  on  behalf  of  the 
Treasury, 

the vessel shall pay the maximum fine provided for in Mauritanian law, 

the licence shall be revoked for the remainder of its period of validity; 

(c) 

the third time: 

– 

– 

– 

– 

the vessel shall be diverted, if possible, 

the  catch  on  board  shall  be  unloaded  and  confiscated  on  behalf  of  the 
Treasury, 

the licence shall be definitively revoked, 

the master and the vessel shall be prohibited from fishing in Mauritania. 

6. 

Should it not be possible to divert the offending vessel, the Ministry shall inform the 
Commission and the flag Member State so that the penalties laid down in the above 
point 5 may be applied.  

Chapter II 

Innocent passage 

When  Community  fishing  vessels  are  exercising  their  right  of  innocent  passage  and 
navigation in Mauritanian fishing zones in accordance with the United Nations Convention on 
the Law of the Sea and relevant national and international legislation, they shall keep all their 
fishing gear stowed on board in such a way that it cannot be immediately utilised. 

EN 

58 

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1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

6. 

1. 

Chapter III 

Transhipment 

The  catches  of  Community  vessels  shall  be  transhipped  solely  within  Mauritanian 
ports and in the zones laid down in Appendix 5 to this Annex. 

Any Community vessel wishing to tranship catches shall be subject to the procedure 
laid down in points 3 and 4 below. 

The owners of such vessels shall notify the Surveillance authority at least 36 hours 
beforehand, using the means of communications specified in point 2 of Chapter I of 
this Annex, of the following: 

– 

– 

– 

– 

the names of the transhipping fishing vessels, 

the names of the cargo vessels, 

the tonnage by species to be transhipped, 

the day, date and time of transhipment. 

The Surveillance authority shall respond within 24 hours. 

Transhipment shall be considered as an exit from Mauritanian fishing zones. Vessels 
must therefore provide the Surveillance authority with the originals of the fishing log 
and the supplementary fishing log and state whether they intend to continue fishing 
or leave Mauritanian fishing zone. 

Any  transhipment  of  catches  not  covered  in  points  1,  2,  3  or  4  above  shall  be 
prohibited in Mauritania’s EEZ. Any person infringing this provision shall be liable 
to the penalties provided for by Mauritanian law. 

Mauritania reserves the right to refuse transhipment if the carrier vessel has carried 
out illegal, undeclared or unregulated fishing inside or outside Mauritania’s EEZ. 

Chapter IV 

Inspection and monitoring 

Masters  of  Community  fishing  vessels  shall  allow  and  facilitate  boarding  and  the 
discharge  of  their  duties  by  any  Mauritanian  official  responsible  for  the  inspection 
and control of fishing activities. 

These  officials  shall  not  remain  on  board  for  longer  than  is  necessary  for  the 
discharge of their duties. 

Once the inspection has been completed, a certificate shall be issued to the master of 
the vessel. 

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2. 

The  Community  hereby  undertakes  to  maintain  the  specific  monitoring  programme 
in Community ports. This programme shall be communicated to the Ministry, which 
reserves the right to ask to be present at these checks in accordance with Chapter V. 
Summaries  of  reports  on  the  checks  carried  out  shall  be  sent  to  the  Ministry  at 
regular intervals. 

Chapter V 

Mutual observation system for shore-based controls 

The two Parties agree to set up a mutual observation system for shore-based controls with a 
view  to  improving  the  effectiveness  of  checks.  To  this  end,  they  shall  designate 
representatives  who  shall  attend  monitoring  operations  and  inspections  carried  out  by  the 
respective national inspection authorities and may make observations on the implementation 
of this Agreement. 

These representatives must possess: 

– 

– 

– 

a professional qualification, 

adequate fisheries experience, and 

thorough knowledge of the provisions of the Agreement and of this Protocol. 

Inspections shall be carried out by the national inspection authorities and the representatives 
in attendance may not, on their own initiative, exercise the powers of inspection conferred on 
national officials. 

When  the  representatives  accompany  national  inspection  officials,  they  shall  have  access  to 
the  vessels,  premises  and  documents  subject  to  inspection  by  those  officials,  in  order  to 
collect data (not containing named references) necessary for the accomplishment of their task. 

The representatives shall accompany the national inspection authorities on their visits to the 
ports, on board ships in dock, to public auction  houses, fish wholesalers’ shops,  cold stores 
and other premises for unloading and stocking fish before it is placed on the market. 

The  representatives  shall  draw  up  and  submit  a  report  every  four  months  detailing  the 
inspections  attended.  This  report  shall  be  addressed  to  the  competent  authorities,  who  shall 
send a copy to the other Party. 

1. 

Implementation 

The competent inspection authority of each Party shall give ten days’ written notice 
to  the  other  Party  of  the  shore-based  inspections,  on  a  case-by-case  basis,  which  it 
intends to carry out. 

The other Party shall give five days’ notice of its intention to send an observer. 

The duration of the representative’s mission should not exceed 15 days. 

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2. 

Confidentiality 

The  representative  on  joint  monitoring  operations  shall  respect  the  plant  and 
equipment  on  board  the  vessel,  and  any  other  installations,  and  also  the 
confidentiality of all documents to which access is provided. 

The representative shall disclose information on the results of the work solely to the 
competent authorities. 

3. 

Location 

This  programme  shall  be  implemented  in  the  Community  ports  of  landing  and 
Mauritanian ports. 

4. 

Funding 

Each  Party  shall  bear  the  costs  of  its  representative  on  monitoring  operations, 
including travel and board. 

Chapter VI 

Boarding and application of penalties 

1. 

Transmission of information 

The  Surveillance  authority  shall  inform  the  Delegation  as  soon  as  possible,  and 
within no more than 48 working hours, of any boarding of or application of a penalty 
to  a  Community  fishing  vessel  operating  in  Mauritanian  fishing  zones  and,  in  the 
event of boarding, shall send a brief report of the circumstances and reasons for this 
boarding. 

2. 

Statement of boarding 

The statement of boarding shall be drawn up by the Surveillance authority faithfully 
on the basis of any infringements found and entered in the inspection report drawn 
up  following  checks  on  the  vessel.  This  inspection  report  must  be  signed  by  the 
master of the vessel, who may note any reservations. 

This signature shall not prejudice the rights of the master or any defence which the 
master may make to the alleged infringement. 

At  the  request  of  the  Surveillance  authority,  the  master  shall  take  the  vessel  to  the 
port of Nouadhibou. If the Surveillance authority does not make such a request, once 
the  infringement  is  brought  to  an  end,  the  vessel  shall  continue  fishing.  The 
shipowner  shall  immediately  contact  the  Ministry  in  order  to  reach  a  solution.  If  a 
solution cannot be found within 72 hours, the owners must provide a bank security 
covering the amount of any fines imposed. 

If  the  vessel  is  diverted  to  the  port  of  Nouadhibou,  it  shall  be  kept  in  port  until 
completion of the usual administrative formalities relating to boarding. 

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3. 

Settlement of boarding 

3.1. 

3.2. 

3.3. 

3.4. 

In accordance with this Protocol and Mauritanian law, infringements may be settled 
either out of court or by legal proceedings. 

In the case of an out-of-court settlement, the amount of the fine shall be determined 
in  accordance  with  Mauritanian  legislation  laying  down  minimum  and  maximum 
figures. 

If  there  is  no  out-of-court  settlement  and  the  matter  is  brought  before  a  competent 
judicial body, a bank security amounting to the equivalent in euro of the maximum 
fine provided for in Mauritanian legislation shall be lodged by the shipowner with a 
bank designated by the Ministry. 

The  bank  security  shall  be  irrevocable  until  the  legal  proceedings  have  been 
concluded. It shall be released by the Ministry once legal proceedings end without a 
conviction. Similarly, in the event of a conviction leading to a fine of less than the 
security lodged, the balance shall be released by the Ministry. 

3.5. 

The vessel shall be released and its crew authorised to leave the port: 

– 

– 

once  the  obligations  arising  under  the  out-of-court  settlement  have  been 
fulfilled, or 

when the bank security referred to in point 3.3 has been lodged and accepted 
by the Ministry, pending completion of the legal proceedings. 

4. 

Compliance with the rules 

All  information  on  infringements  committed  by  Community  vessels  shall  be 
communicated to the Commission on a regular basis, via the Delegation. 

Chapter VII 

Satellite monitoring of fishing vessels 

1. 

2. 

3. 

All  fishing  vessels  fishing  under  this  Agreement  shall  be  subject  to  satellite 
monitoring when they are in the Mauritanian EEZ. 

For the purposes of satellite monitoring, the coordinates (latitudes and longitudes) of 
the Mauritanian EEZ are shown in Appendix 4. 

The Parties shall exchange information on X.25 addresses and the specifications for 
electronic data transmission between their Control Centres in accordance with points 
5  to  7.  Such  information  shall  include  the  following  where  they  exist:  names, 
telephone  and  fax  numbers,  and  e-mail  addresses  (Internet  or  https)  which  may  be 
used  for  general  communications  between  Control  Centres.  The  details  of  the 
Mauritian Control Centre are given in Appendix 1 to this Annex. 

4. 

The  position  of  vessels  shall  be  determined  with  a  margin  of  error  of  less  than 
500 metres and a confidence interval of 99%. 

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5. 

6. 

7. 

8. 

9. 

10. 

11. 

When  a  vessel  which  is  fishing  under  the  Agreement  and  is  the  subject  of  satellite 
tracking  pursuant  to  Community  legislation  enters  the  Mauritanian  EEZ,  the 
subsequent  position  reports  (vessel  identification,  longitude,  latitude,  course  and 
speed) shall be transmitted immediately by the Control Centre of the flag State to the 
Surveillance  authority  (FMC)  at  intervals  of  no  more  than  one  hour.  The  messages 
concerned shall be identified as position reports. 

The messages specified in point 5 shall be transmitted electronically in X.25 format, 
or any other secure protocol. They shall be communicated in real time in the format 
set out in the table attached in Appendix 3. 

Where  the  continuous  satellite  monitoring  equipment  installed  on  board  a  fishing 
vessel  develops  a  technical  fault  or  breaks  down,  the  master  of  the  vessel  shall 
transmit the information specified in point 5 to the Control Centre of the flag State 
and  the  Mauritanian  FMC  in  good  time.  In  those  circumstances  a  global  position 
report  shall  be  sent  every  four  hours.  This  global  position  report  shall  include  the 
position  reports  as  recorded  by  the  master  of  the  vessel  on  an  hourly  basis  in 
accordance  with  the  requirements  laid  down  in  point  5.  It  is  recommended  that 
shipowners carry a second beacon on board, by way of precaution. 

The  Control  Centre  of  the  flag  State  shall  send  these  messages  immediately  to  the 
Mauritanian FMC. The faulty equipment shall be repaired or replaced within a period 
of not more than five days. Beyond that period the vessel concerned shall leave the 
Mauritanian EEZ or enter a Mauritanian port. 

Where  there  is  a  serious  technical  problem  requiring  an  additional  period,  an 
exception may be granted at the request of the master for a maximum of 15 days. In 
that  situation  the  requirements  laid  down  in  point  7  shall  continue  to  apply  and  all 
vessels, with the exception of tuna vessels, shall enter port in order to take on board a 
Mauritanian scientific observer. 

The Control Centres of the flag States shall monitor the movements of their vessels 
in the Mauritanian EEZ at hourly intervals. If the vessels are not being monitored in 
accordance  with  the  conditions  laid  down,  the  Mauritanian  FMC  shall  be  informed 
immediately and the procedure laid down in point 7 shall apply. 

If  the  Mauritanian  FMC  finds  that  the  flag  State  is  not  communicating  the 
information provided for in point 5, it shall immediately inform the Commission, via 
the Delegation, thereof. 

The  monitoring  data  communicated  to  the  other  Party  in  accordance  with  these 
provisions  is  intended  solely  for  the  purposes  of  the  Mauritanian  authorities  in 
controlling and monitoring the Community fleet fishing under this Agreement. Such 
data may not under any circumstances be communicated to other Parties. 

The  satellite-tracking  system  software  and  hardware  components  shall  be  reliable 
and  shall  not  permit  the  input  or  output  of  false  positions  or  be  capable  of  being 
manually overridden. 

The  system  shall  be  fully  automatic  and  operational  at  all  times  regardless  of 
environmental and weather conditions. Destroying, damaging, rendering inoperative 
or tampering with the satellite-tracking system shall be prohibited. 

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Masters shall ensure that: 

– 

– 

– 

data are not altered in any way; 

the  antenna  or  antennas  connected  to  the  satellite-tracking  equipment  are  not 
obstructed; 

the  power  supply  of  the  satellite-tracking  equipment  is  not  interrupted  in  any 
way; and 

– 

the satellite-tracking equipment is not removed from the vessel. 

The Parties agree to exchange upon request information on the equipment used for 
satellite  monitoring,  in  order  to  ensure  that  each  piece  of  equipment  is  fully 
compatible  with  the  requirements  of  the  other  Party  for  the  purposes  of  these 
provisions. 

Any  dispute  over  the  interpretation  or  application  of  these  provisions  shall  be  the 
subject of consultation between the Parties within the Joint Committee provided for 
in Article 10 of the Agreement. 

In the event of doubts about a given vessel the Mauritanian FMC shall send a request 
to  the  FMC  of  the  flag  Member  State  which  shall  transmit  to  it  without  delay  the 
geographical (polling) positions of the vessel during the period set out in the request. 

The  two  Parties,  within  the  Joint  Committee  provided  for  in  Article  10  of  the 
Agreement, undertake to find the most appropriate solutions to: 

(a) 

(b) 

eliminate,  by  the  end  of  2006,  all  technical  problems  which  may  affect  the 
effectiveness of the VMS system in Mauritanian fishing zones; 

analyse  together  ways  of  strengthening  cooperation  so  as  to  improve 
implementation  of  the  VMS  rules,  and  in  particular  to  promote  the 
simultaneous transmission of data by European vessels to the FMC of the flag 
Member State and to the Surveillance authority. 

12. 

13. 

14. 

15. 

Chapter VIII 

Mauritanian scientific observers on board 
Community vessels 

A system for observation on board Community vessels is hereby established. 

1. 

All Community vessels holding a licence for Mauritanian fishing zones shall take on 
board  a  Mauritanian  scientific  observer,  except  for  tuna  seiners,  which  shall  board 
observers at the request of the Ministry. There shall be only one scientific observer at 
a time per vessel. 

The Ministry  shall supply the Commission, via the  Delegation,  each  quarter  before 
licences  are  issued  with  a  list  of  vessels  designated  to  take  on  board  a  scientific 
observer. 

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2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

6. 

7. 

8. 

The period spent on board a vessel by a scientific observer shall be the length of a 
trip. However, at the express request of the Ministry, this embarkation may be spread 
over  several  trips  according  to  the  average  duration  of  trip  for  a  particular  vessel. 
This request will be made by the Ministry when the name of the scientific observer 
designated to board the vessel in question is notified. 

Likewise, in the event of a trip being curtailed, the scientific observer may have to 
make a further voyage on the same vessel. 

The  Ministry  shall  inform  the  Commission,  via  the  Delegation,  of  the  names  of 
designated scientific observers, provided with the requisite documents, at least seven 
working days before the scheduled date of their embarkation. 

All  costs  arising  out  of  the  activities  of  scientific  observers,  including  their  salary, 
emoluments and allowances, shall be borne by the Ministry. If a scientific observer is 
taken  on  board  or  disembarked  at  a  foreign  port,  travelling  expenses  and  daily 
allowances  shall  be  borne  by  the  shipowner  until  the  observer  boards  the  vessel  or 
arrives at a Mauritanian port. 

Masters of vessels designated to take on board a scientific observer shall make all the 
arrangements for boarding and disembarkation of the scientific observer. 

Scientific observers shall enjoy the same treatment on board as the vessel’s officers. 

As far as possible, observers shall be offered every facility needed to carry out their 
duties. The master shall give them access to the means of communication needed for 
the  discharge  of  their  duties,  to  documents  directly  concerned  with  the  vessel’s 
fishing  activities,  including  in  particular  the  fishing  log,  the  supplementary  fishing 
log and the navigation log, and to those parts of the vessel necessary to facilitate the 
exercise of their tasks as observer. 

Scientific  observers  shall  normally  board  (and  disembark)  at  a  Mauritanian  port  at 
the start of the first trip, following notification of the list of designated vessels, which 
must take place at least 20 days before the beginning of the trip. 

Within  15  days  of  that  notification,  the  shipowners  concerned  shall  notify  the 
Ministry, using the means of communication specified in Chapter I to this Annex, of 
the date and port selected for taking the scientific observer on board. 

Scientific observers must report to the master of the designated vessel the day before 
the selected date of embarkation. Should the scientific observer not appear the master 
of the vessel shall inform the Surveillance authority, which shall replace the observer 
within the following two hours. If it does not do so, the vessel shall be authorised to 
leave the Mauritanian port in possession of a certificate of absence for the scientific 
observer. However, the Ministry may subsequently, at its own expense, arrange the 
boarding of a new scientific observer, without disrupting fishing by the vessel. 

Failure by a shipowner to comply with one of these provisions relating to scientific 
observers  shall  result  in  the  automatic  suspension  of  the  fishing  licence  until  the 
shipowner has complied with their obligations. 

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9. 

Scientific observers should have: 

– 

– 

– 

a professional qualification, 

adequate fisheries experience, and 

a thorough understanding of this Protocol and the Mauritanian rules applicable. 

10. 

Scientific  observers  shall  ensure  that  Community  vessels  operating  in  Mauritanian 
fishing zone comply with the terms of this Protocol. 

They shall compile a report on this subject. In particular, they shall: 

– 

– 

– 

– 

observe the fishing activities of the vessels; 

check the position of vessels engaged in fishing operations; 

perform biological sampling in the context of scientific programmes; 

record particulars of the fishing gear and the mesh sizes of the nets used. 

11. 

Observation shall be confined to fishing activities and related activities governed by 
this Protocol. 

12. 

Scientific observers shall: 

– 

– 

– 

take  all  appropriate  steps  to  ensure  that  the  conditions  of  their  boarding  and 
presence on the vessel neither interrupt nor hamper fishing operations; 

use  the  instruments  and  procedures  approved  for  measuring  the  mesh  size  of 
nets used under this Agreement; and 

respect  the  material  and  equipment  on  board  and  the  confidentiality  of  all 
documents belonging to the vessel. 

13. 

At  the  end  of  the  observation  period  and  before  leaving  the  vessel,  scientific 
observers shall draw up a report in accordance with the model in Appendix 2 to this 
Annex. They shall sign it in the presence of the master, who may add or cause to be 
added to it any observations considered relevant, followed by the master’s signature. 
A copy of the report shall be handed to the master when the observer is put ashore. 

The Ministry shall send the reports from the previous month to the Commission, via 
the Delegation, each month for information purposes. 

Chapter IX 

Discards 

The two Parties shall look into the problem of discards from fishing vessels and shall examine 
ways of making use of them. 

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Chapter X 

Fight against illegal fishing 

In  an  effort  to  curb  illegal  fishing  activities  in  Mauritanian  fishing  zones  which  jeopardise 
fisheries management policy, the Parties agree to exchange information on these activities on 
a regular basis. 

In addition to the measures already applied by the two Parties under existing legislation, they 
shall consult one another on the possibility of taking supplementary joint or individual action. 
To this end, they shall step up cooperation, in particular on the fight against illegal fishing. 

__________ 

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EU/Mauritania Agreement – Annex II - Appendix 1 

MAURITANIA - EUROPEAN COMMUNITY FISHING AGREEMENT 

ADDRESS OF THE SURVEILLANCE AUTHORITY 

Délégation à la Surveillance des Pêches maritimes 

Address: 

Boîte Postale (BP) 260 Nouadhibou  

(DSPCM) 

Mauritania 

Phone: 

(222) 574 57 01  

Fax: 

(222) 574 63 12  

E-mail:dspcm@toptechnology.mr 

COORDINATES OF THE MAURITANIAN FMC 

Name of FMC: DSPCM SSN 

VMS Tel.: 

(222) 574 67 43 / 574 56 26 

VMS Fax: 

(222) 574 67 43 

VMS E-mail:  dspcm@toptechnology.mr 

Address X25:  20803403006315 

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EU/Mauritania Agreement – Annex II - Appendix 2 

REPORT OF THE MAURITANIAN SCIENTIFIC OBSERVER 

Name of shipowner: ............................................................................................................. 

Vessel: ............................................. Nationality: ................................................................. 

Number and port of registration: ......................................................................................... 

Identity marking: .............................., tonnage: .................... GT, Power: ........................... HP 

Licence: ............................. No: .......................... Type: ...................................................... 

Name of master: ................................................Nationality: ............................................. 

Boarded: Date: ................................., Port: ................................ 

Disembarked: Date: ................................., Port: ................................ 

Authorised fishing method: ............................................................................................................... 

Gear used: ....................................................................................................................... 

Mesh size and/or dimensions: .................................................................................................... 

Fishing zones: .................................................................................................. 

Distance from coast: ................................................................................................................ 

Number of Mauritanian crew on board: ................................ 

Entry into ......./....../........ and departure ......./......./....... from the fishing zone 

Observer’s estimate 

Overall production (kg): .................. ....................., declared on............ GT ....................... 

By-catches: species .............................................., estimated: ...........% 

Discards: species: ........................................................, Quantity .............. (kg): ....................... 

Species retained 

Quantity (kg) 

Species retained 

Quantity (kg) 

Observer’s findings: 

Nature of findings 

Date 

position 

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Observer’s comments (general): ...................................................................................... 

............................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................ 

............................................................................................................................................ 

Done at .............................................................., on ............................. 

Observer’s signature: .................................................................. 

Master’s 
comments .................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................. 

Copy of report received on (date).....................  Master’s signature.................... 

Report forwarded to ........................................................................... 

Position: ........................................................................................ 

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EU/Mauritania Agreement – Annex II - Appendix 3 

COMMUNICATION OF VMS MESSAGES IN MAURITANIA 

POSITION REPORT 

Data Element 

Code  Mandatory/O
ptional 

Comments 

Start record 

Recipient 

From 

Flag State 

Type of message 

Radio call sign 

SR 

AD 

FR 

FS 

TM 

RC 

Contracting  Party 
reference number 

internal

IR 

External registration number XR 

Latitude 

Longitude 

Course 

Speed 

Dates 

Time 

End record 

LA 

LO 

CO 

SP 

DA 

TI 

ER 

M 

M 

M 

O 

M 

M 

M 

M 

M 

M 

M 

M 

M 

M 

M 

System detail – indicates start of record 

Message detail – recipient. Alpha 3 ISO country code 

Message detail – sender. Alpha 3 ISO country code 

Message detail – Message type “POS” 

Vessel detail – international radio call sign of vessel 

Unique  contracting  Party  number  (flag  State  ISO-3  code 
followed by number) 

Vessel detail – number marked on side of vessel 

Vessel position detail – position in degrees, minutes and seconds 
N/S DDMMSS.ss (WGS-84) 

Vessel position detail – position in degrees, minutes and seconds 
N/S DDMMSS.ss (WGS-84) 

Vessel course 360° scale 

Vessel speed in tenths of knots 

Vessel  position  detail  – date  of  record  of  UTC  position 
(YYYYMMDD) 

Vessel  position  detail  – time  of  record  of  UTC  position 
(HHMM) 

System detail - indicates end of record 

Character set: ISO 8859.1 

Each data transmission is structured as follows: 

– 
– 

a double slash (//) and field code indicate the start of the message; 
a single slash (/) separates the field code and the data. 

Optional data elements have to be inserted between the start and end of the record. 

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EU/Mauritania Agreement – Annex II - Appendix 4 

LIMITS OF THE MAURITANIAN EEZ 

Coordinates of EEZ/Protocol 

EU VMS 

1  Southern boundary 

Lat.  16°

04’

00” N Long.

19°  58’ 

00” W 

2  Coordinates 

Lat.  16°

30’

00” N Long.

19°  54’ 

00” W 

3  Coordinates 

Lat.  17°

00’

00” N Long.

19°  47’ 

00” W 

4  Coordinates 

Lat.  17°

30’

00” N Long.

19°  33’ 

00” W 

5  Coordinates 

Lat.  18°

00’

00” N Long.

19°  29’ 

00” W 

6  Coordinates 

Lat.  18°

30’

00” N Long.

19°  28’ 

00” W 

7  Coordinates 

Lat.  19°

00’

00” N Long.

19°  43’ 

00” W 

8  Coordinates 

Lat.  19°

23’

00” N Long.

20°  01’ 

00” W 

9  Coordinates 

Lat.  19°

30’

00” N Long.

20°  04’ 

00” W 

10  Coordinates 

Lat.  20°

00’

00” N Long.

20°  14’ 

30” W 

11  Coordinates 

Lat.  20°

30’

00” N Long.

20°  25’ 

30” W 

12  Northern boundary 

Lat.  20°

46’

00” N Long.

20°  04’ 

32” W 

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EU/Mauritania Agreement – Annex II - Appendix 5 

Coordinates of the authorised transhipment 
zone within the port of Nouadhibou 

(BUOY 2= N 20.43’6 W 17.01’8) 

1  Coordinates 

Lat.  20° 

2  Coordinates 

Lat.  20° 

3  Coordinates 

Lat.  20° 

43’
6 

43’
6” 

46’
6” 

N Long.  17°  01’4” 

  W 

N Long.  16°  58’5” 

  W 

N Long.  16°  58’5” 

  W 

4  Coordinates 

Lat.  20°  46’7” 

N Long.  17°  00’4” 

  W 

5  Coordinates 

Lat.  20°  45’3” 

N Long.  17°  00’4” 

  W 

6  Coordinates 

Lat.  20°  45’3” 

N Long.  17°  01’5” 

  W 

Coordinates of the authorised transhipment 
zone within the port of Nouakchott 

1  Coordinates 

Lat.  18°  01’5” 

N Long.  16°  07’ 

  W 

2  Coordinates 

Lat.  18°  01’5” 

N Long.  16°  03’8” 

  W 

3  Coordinates 

Lat.  17°  59’ 

N Long.  16°  07’ 

  W 

4  Coordinates 

Lat.  17°  59’ 

N Long.  16°  03’8” 

  W 

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Annex III – Overall fishing effort (2005) 

CATEGORY 

TYPE OF VESSEL 

Overall effort 

N of 
vessel
s 

GT 

Kw 

No of 
days 
fishing 

Freezer vessels 

 64 

17124 

35601 

CATEGORY  1:  Crustaceans  other 
than crawfish 

Wet-fish vessels 

SUBTOTAL 

 2 

66 

314 

442 

17437 

36043 

CATEGORY  2:  Black  hake  trawlers 
and bottom longliners: 

CATEGORY  3:  Demersal  species 
other  than  black  hake  with  gear 
other than trawls 

CATEGORY  4:  Demersal  trawlers 
targeting  species  other  than  black 
hake 

Wet-fish vessels 

 23 

6421 

12143 

Wet-fish vessels 

 23 

3083 

6375 

Freezer vessels 

 9 

2470 

4946 

CATEGORY 5: Cephalopod vessels 

Wet-fish vessels 

 88 

20081 

 26699 

Freezer vessels 

 150 

50798 

97870 

CATEGORY 6: Crawfish 

CATEGORIES  7-  8:  Tuna  seiners  – 
pole-and-line 
tuna  vessels  and 
longliners 

CATEGORY 9: Pelagic species 

CATEGORY 10: Crab 

SUBTOTAL 

238 

70879 

124569 

Freezer vessels 

Wet-fish vessels 

 0 

 0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

Freezer vessels 

 54 

36029 

57513 

Freezer vessels 

Wet-fish vessels 

Freezer vessels 

Wet-fish vessels 

 66 

392993  231259 

 0 

 4 

0 

0 

839 

1236 

CATEGORY  11:  Non-freezer  small 
pelagic species 

Wet-fish vessels 

0 

0 

0 

TOTAL 

483 

530 151  474 085  

The number of days of fishing for tuna vessels is not broken down by category.  

NB: the overall national fishing effort does not take into account vessels subject to extended temporary cessation 
of fishing.

EN 

74 

   EN 

 
  
  
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
 
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Annex  IV:  Guidelines  for  the  purpose  of  drawing  up  the  matrix  of  objectives  and 
performance  indicators  for  the  development  and  implementation  of  the  Stratégie  de 
développement  durable  du  secteur  de  la  pêche  de  la  Mauritanie  (strategy  of  sustainable 
development  of  Mauritania’s  fisheries  sector),  with  a  view  to  introducing  sustainable 
and responsible fishing in its waters  

Strategic priorities and objectives  

Indicators 

1.  Improving governance in the fisheries 

sector 
1.1.  Controlled development of small-scale and 

coastal fisheries  

Adoption  and  implementation  of  development  plan  for  small-scale  and 
coastal fisheries 

Number  of  small-scale  and  coastal  fisheries  vessels  registered  (in 
absolute terms and as a percentage)  

Vessel register kept in Mauritanian EEZ 

1.2.  Improving 
resources  

information 

on 

fishery 

Number of development plans drawn up, implemented and evaluated 
Number of stocks evaluated 

Number of research programmes 

Number  of  recommendations  issued  and  followed  on  the  state  of  the 
main fisheries resources (in particular freezes on fishing and conservation 
measures for overfished stocks) 

Evaluation of annual fishing effort for species which are the subject of a 
development plan 

Instrument  to  manage  operational  fishing  effort  (setting  up  a  database, 
statistical  monitoring  instruments,  networking  the  services  responsible 
for fleet management, publication of statistical bulletins, etc.) 

Strengthened  IMROP  research  capacities  (in  connection  with  objective 
1.2) 

Refurbishment of Port of Nouadhibou and extension of fishing port 
Redevelopment  of  fish  market  in  port  of  Nouakchott  for  unloading 
catches from small-scale fishing 

Wrecks removed from Nouadhibou area 

1.3.  Modernisation and stepping up of fisheries 

research 
2.  Accelerating 

the 

integration  of 

the 
fisheries sector into Mauritania’s national 
economy 
2.1.  Developing infrastructure, in particular 

port infrastructure 

2.2.  Restructuring Mauritania’s industrial fleet   Restructuring  of  Mauritanian  industrial  fleet  (studies,  action  plan, 
financial instruments) 
Number of wooden canoes replaced with canoes made of more suitable 
materials (in absolute terms and as a percentage) 

2.3.  Modernisation  and  upgrading  health  and 

hygiene of the small-scale fleet 

Number of canoes equipped with iceboxes 

Rules  on  minimum  health  and  hygiene  standards  applicable  to  canoes 
and their products drawn up and implemented  

Increased number of unloading points  

EN 

75 

   EN 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2.4.  Improving fisheries surveillance 

Small-scale  fishing  vessels  and  coastal  fishing  vessels  brought  into 
compliance  with  health  standards  (number  in  absolute  terms  and  as  a 
percentage) 
Sworn body of independent inspectors set up and operational (number of 
people  recruited  and  trained)  and  corresponding  budgetary  allocation 
entered in the finance act, before the end of the first two-year period of 
the Protocol 

NNuummbbeerr  ooff  ddaayyss  ooff  mmoonniittoorriinngg  aatt  sseeaa  

NNuummbbeerr  ooff  iinnssppeeccttiioonnss  iinn  ppoorrtt  aanndd  aatt  sseeaa  
NNuummbbeerr  ooff  aaeerriiaall  iinnssppeeccttiioonnss  

NNuummbbeerr  ooff  ssttaattiissttiiccaall  bbuulllleettiinnss  ppuubblliisshheedd  

RRaaddaarr  ccoovveerraaggee  rraattee  

RRaattee  ooff  VVMMSS  ccoovveerraaggee  ooff  tthhee  fflleeeett  aass  aa  wwhhoollee  

UUttiilliissaattiioonn   rraattee   ooff   tthhee   eelleeccttrroonniicc   llooggbbooookk//iinndduussttrriiaall   aanndd   ccooaassttaall   fflleeeett  
ttooggeetthheerr  

Training  programme  adapted  to  surveillance  techniques  implemented 
(number of hours of training, number of technicians trained, etc.) 
Inspection system for fisheries products adapted and operational 

Actors  made  aware  of  health  and  hygiene  rules  (number  of  training 
courses organised and number of people trained) 

Nouakchott analytical laboratory operational 

Nouakchott fish market brought up to hygiene standards 

Number  of  sites  developed  for  unloading  and  processing  products  from 
small-scale fishing 

Promoting technical and commercial partnerships with private operators 
overseas 

Eco-labelling system launched for Mauritian products  

Recommended  measures  implemented  for  safety  at  sea  and  rescue 
services, in particular for the small-scale fleet 

Meeting ISPS standards 

Training  programme  in  improving  safety  at  sea  and  rescue  services,  in 
particular for the small-scale fleet, implemented 

Review of Merchant Shipping Code (implementing decrees) 
Operational national sea rescue plan, shipping forecast service, Accident 
Investigation Unit, etc. 

2.5.  Promoting  fisheries  products  (health  and 
plant-health  conditions  of  the  products 
landed and processed) 

3.  developing  capacities  in  the  sector  and 

improving governance: 
3.1.  Improving  safety  at  sea  and 

rescue 
services,  in  particular  for  the  small-scale 
fleet 

EN 

76 

   EN 

 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
3.2.  Improving 

the 

effectiveness  of 

the 
technical  services  of  the  Ministère  des 
Pêches 
l’Economie  Maritime 
(Mauritania’s Ministry of Fisheries and the 
Marine  Economy)  and 
services 
the 
involved in managing the sector 

et  de 

3.3.  Developing 

the  system 

for  managing 

licences and monitoring vessels 

Administrative capacities strengthened 

Training  and  recycling  programme  drawn  up  and  applied  (number  of 
agents trained, number of hours of training, etc.) 

Mechanisms for coordination, consultation and cooperation with partners 
strengthened 

System  of  data  collection  and  statistical  monitoring  of  small-scale  and 
coastal fisheries strengthened 
NNuummbbeerr  ooff  hhoouurrss  ooff  ttrraaiinniinngg  ffoorr  tteecchhnniicciiaannss  

Number of technicians trained 

Networking of services 

EN 

77 

   EN