EC/Senegal fisheries agreement: protocol for the period from 1 May 1997 to 30 April 2001

OBJECTIVE: to adopt a new fisheries protocol between the Community and Senegal setting the technical and financial conditions for the fishing activities of Community vessels in Senegalese waters for the period from 1 May 1997 to 30 April 2001. CONTENT: the protocol approved by the parties on 26 March 1997 provides the following fishing opportunities: - licences for 3 inshore demersal fishing trawlers (fish and cephalopods) not landing their catch in Senegal up to 331 GRT (with the option of fishing with freezing facilities for 150 GRT); - licences for 11 ocean-going demersal fishing trawlers not landing their catch in Senegal, 3 750 GRT; - licences for 7 inshore demersal fishing freezer trawlers (fish and cephalopods) landing and selling part of their catch in Senegal, up to 1 800 GRT; - licences for 29 ocean-going freezer trawlers (deep-water demersal fishing for crustaceans, except lobster) not landing their catch in Senegal, 4 119 GRT; - licenses for 12 pole-and-line tuna vessels; - licences for 41 freezer tuna seiners; - licences for 23 surface longliners; - licences for 22 ocean-going freezer trawlers (deep-water fishing) per year with six being able to fish simultaneously. The maximum catch of deep-sea fish is set at 25 000 tonnes per year. The total number of trawlers (demersal fishing) is set at 50 vessels (with a maximum tolerance of 8% per category, but the parties may alter this threshold by agreement between them). The duration of licences is set by category of fishing vessel and varies from 6 to 12 months for inshore demersal fishing trawlers, from 3, 6 or 12 months for ocean-going freezer trawlers (deep-water demersal fishing) and from 4 months for ocean-going demersal fishing trawlers. Licences for tuna fishing and surface longliners are annual. The duration of licences cannot be less than one month. In addition to the fishing possibilities set out under the new protocol, the European Commission also proposes a formula for apportioning trawler and tuna fishing opportunities between five Member States (Italy, Greece, Spain, France and Portugal) on the basis of the traditional allocation under the fisheries agreement. The proposal also lays upon Community shipowners an obligation to land tuna in Senegal (as set out in the fisheries agreement). A formula for apportioning direct landings by freezer tuna seiners is also laid down in the proposal (44% for French tuna vessels and 56% for Spanish tuna vessels). In exchange, Senegal will receive financial compensation of ECU 48 million, payable in four equal annual instalments. The Senegalese authorities are solely responsible for the use made of this sum on the basis of the sustainable development objectives in the EC-Senegal fisheries agreement (e.g. fishing skills, training courses for fishermen, fisheries monitoring etc.) and must inform the Community of the use made of it by 13 April 1997. The annual payments will be made by 30 April each year, with the first instalment payable by 31 July 1997. The European Commission will therefore submit a remittance request to the budgetary authority so that this first instalment can be paid (failing which the agreement may be suspended) and will inform it of the causes of this situation, in agreement with the joint declaration on improving information to the budgetary authority on fisheries agreements (cf. "fiche de procédure" ACI0009).�