At the start of October, the minutes of the last EU-Mauritania Joint Scientific Committee (JSC) were published.
This committee annually brings together scientists from both parties to monitor the state of the various fisheries and advise the Joint Committee that oversees the implementation of the EU-Mauritania Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement (SFPA).
Although this almost 90-pages long document is dense and riddled with scientific jargon, it is worth the read. It reveals that there is still a long way to go to ensure all EU fleets active in Mauritania fish sustainably, particularly when it comes to the monitoring and limitation of by-catches and discards.
It shows as well how the EU fleet fishing for small pelagics, particularly the East European vessels, continue to disregard their obligations to embark observers on board. But what the minutes do not say is also important: surprisingly, the JSC fails to properly examine measures for protecting Mauritania deep water coral reefs, a vulnerable marine eco-system.
Although Mauritania’s deep waters are now among the best studied in the world, and vulnerable marine areas have been mapped in detail, no protection measures have yet been put in place. The Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement continues to allow Spanish bottom trawlers access to this fragile coral zone. The impact of trawling by EU vessels on these fragile eco-systems has never been addressed by the CSC. Until now. Indeed, the committee’s latest report notes that the subject was “briefly discussed” and comments: “Analysis of the fishing activity of trawlers shows that fishing vessels operate in areas defined as areas of ecological interest. This can be a source of threat to biodiversity. To this end, the CSC, not having sufficient time to explore the potential impact of trawler fishing on these areas, proposes to analyse the issue in depth at its next session and to consider the recommendations of the study (Ramos et al, 2018).”
These recommendations include a proposal for the creation of 5 marine protected areas, which would cover only 0.72% of Mauritania’s EEZ. There is an urgent need for the EU to support the creation of these zones, not only to protect this fragile ecosystem from trawling, but also from the oil and gas industry, which has already damaged it by running a pipeline through it. The oil and gas companies are currently studying the feasibility of running a second pipeline through this ecosystem, which would also cross the fishing grounds of EU vessels. In the short term, experts with in-depth knowledge of this subject should be involved in future CCS work to ensure the survival of these ecosystems through appropriate protection measures. This would strengthen the EU’s position as a leader in marine conservation, while demonstrating its unwavering commitment to compliance with international regulations.