For the Minister, the agreement will make it possible to have an alternative for Spanish trawlers by allowing their return to the Mauritanian coast. It considers the use of the agreement by the other categories of fisheries to be very satisfactory

The Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries, Food and the Environment, Isabel García Tejina, said yesterday afternoon, at the Senate's Control Session, that the commitments reached in the EU-Mauritania Joint Extraordinary Fisheries Agreement Commission have been a success for the Spanish fleet and for the sustainable management of the fishing surpluses in the waters of that country. In particular, the Minister has pointed out that these agreements will make it possible to have an important alternative for Spanish trawlers by allowing their return to the Mauritanian coast.

In this regard, García Tejina has recalled how in the current Protocol, signed in July 2015, the Spanish delegation managed to include the possibility of introducing a fishing modality, the freezing demersal. To this end, it was necessary to determine that there was a surplus available, which was confirmed by the joint scientific committee held in September 2016. At the same time, Spain has worked within the European Union to obtain a commitment to increase expenditure with which to negotiate new fishing opportunities. This negotiation, added the Minister, has concluded with the inclusion of this new category, which will allow the entry of 6 Spanish freezer trawlers, which will have a total catch of up to 6,938 tons per year. As detailed, 3,500 tonnes of black hake quota, 1,450 tonnes of squid, 600 tonnes of sepia and an additional 25% of by-catches.