The acting Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis Planas, highlights the great interest of the agreement for the national fleet, especially for the Andalusian, Canary and Galician vessels. Of the 138 possible licenses, Spanish vessels will have access to at least 92 licenses. 70 applications have already been received.
The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Act, Luis Planas, has shown the satisfaction of the Government of Spain for the final approval of the Fisheries Agreement between the European Union and Morocco, after the ratification of it by the Kingdom of Morocco.
The meeting of the first mixed commission of this agreement has also ended in Rabat today, in which the technical aspects that will enable the first licenses to be issued and therefore the expected return of the Community vessels to this fishing ground have been set.
Planas has highlighted the importance of this agreement for the Spanish fishing sector, mainly for certain segments of the Andalusian, Canary and Galician fleets, since of the 138 possible licenses, Spain accounts for more than half of them.
On the part of Spain the necessary dossiers for the request of the fishing licenses have already been prepared, having made the shipowners the payments required to start the activity next week. Thanks to the commitment of an agile processing by the Moroccan side, we hope that the first licenses can be delivered and the fishing operations started during the next week.
Benefits for the Spanish fleet
As detailed by the minister, the agreement will last for four years and includes improvements for the operation of the ships, among which is greater flexibility for compliance with the landing obligation in Moroccan ports.
The protocol includes a financial counterpart of 50 million euros per year, for access to the resource, sectoral support and canon of shipowners. In this regard, another of the advantages of the agreement is the maintenance of the amount of fees for access to fishing grounds that Spanish vessels have been using, which means a reduction in activity due to the fact that they have not been updated in accordance with the general increase in prices.
The entry into force of the agreement means the possibility of accessing 92 licenses by Spanish vessels in the Moroccan fishing grounds, of which 70 applications have already been received.
Of these licenses, the Andalusian, Canarian and Galician fleet mainly benefit from the purse-seine, bottom longline and trawl modalities, in addition to the fleet targeting tuna with purse seines and reeds.
Planas has stressed that the agreement will favor the sustainability of the fleet, in its economic, social and environmental aspects, since it will generate employment and wealth in areas of great dependence on fishing, and will allow a strict control over the catches made, preserving the resources fisheries in the area, since the best available scientific advice and management plans adopted by the regional fisheries management organizations have been taken into account in their negotiation.