An updated fisheries deal, approved by the European Parliment, will give E.U. vessels access to Cabo Verde waters to fish tuna and related species.
The measure will also include E.U. payments to Cabo Verde of EUR 780,000 (USD 813,000) yearly to support sustainable fishing and anti-illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing activities.
Fifty-six E.U. vessels, including 24 freezer tuna seiners, 10 pole-and-line tuna vessels, and 22 surface longliners from Spain, France, and Portugal, will have access until 2029; the deal allows the E.U. boats to fish up to 7,000 tons of tuna and related species per year.
European Peoples’ Party representative Paulo do Nascimento Cabral called the deal “a good agreement that protects fishermen from both sides as well as the sustainability of our oceans.”
“It will also promote decent working conditions and strengthen scientific capabilities in Cabo Verde,” Cabral said.
The E.U.’s financial contribution to Cabo Verde breaks down into EUR 350,000 (USD 365,000) for water rights and EUR 430,000 (USD 448,000) for support of the nation’s fisheries policy and blue economy. Additionally, vessel owners collectively are expected to pay up to EUR 600,000 (USD 625,000) in fishing fees each year.
The E.U. has been pursuing agreements that allow E.U. fishers to fish highly migratory species, like tuna and sharks, in West African coastal states for many years. The first agreements which gave E.U. fishers access to Cabo Verdean waters came about in 1990, replaced in 2007, and renewed every five years since.
It covers fishing for tunas and related species within the rules set by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT).
