• Pacific - There is a possibility that some Spanish 

 or French world-class tuna purse seiners might be 

 fishing in the Western Pacific Ocean. One Spanish 

 tuna vessel, the Montedaro, sank in the Eastern 

 tropical Pacific on July 14, 1993.'^ There are 6 ex- 

 Spanish tuna vessels currently reflagged in Panama 

 which may be fishing for tuna in the Pacific, along 

 with 1 vessel reflagged in Malta and 1 reflagged in 

 Cyprus. 



The non-EC countries are unlikely to redeploy 

 large numbers of their vessels in distant-water 

 fisheries. These countries have never operated 

 extensively beyond the North Sea or North Atlantic 

 and are unlikely to initiate such high-cost operations 

 requiring lengthy trips at this time. However, 

 individual companies may seek to fish under joint 

 venture arrangements in distant waters, such as off 

 New Zealand, South Africa, Peru, or possibly even 

 off Russia. The shift to distant waters will depend 

 upon the recovery of cod stocks in the North 

 Atlantic. 



are now being sold for a fraction of their original 

 cost. Some of Greenland's fleet of shrimp trawlers 

 and cod factoryships could be sold, though in all 

 probability to other Nordic countries. 



REFLAGGING 



Reflagging is becoming significant as declining 

 catches, increasingly severe management measures, 

 and adverse economic conditions force some 

 fishermen to seek alternatives to existing regimes. 

 Danish fishermen reflagged a few vessels in Panama 

 in an attempt to fish wild Atlantic salmon in 1989-91 . 

 A Spanish and a Belgian firm currently employs 

 Taiwanese longliners out of Honduras. Cyprus and 

 Malta have become important centers for reflagging 

 in 1993.''' Belize, the Dominican Republic, 

 Panama, and St. Vincent are all attracting West 

 European vessels to their registries. Norway recently 

 encountered several Caribbean-flag countries fishing 

 between the Russian and Norwegian 200-mile limits 

 in the Barents Sea.'' 



DECOMMISSIONING EFFORTS 



The EC is the only West European body with a 

 major, long-term program aimed at reducing the size 

 of its fleet. The EC's Multi-Annual Guidance 

 Program (MAGP) is a 10-year effort designed to 

 reduce the size of the EC fleet by 1996. This 

 program, however, is primarily aimed at reducing the 

 size of coastal fishing vessels, although high-seas 

 vessels will be included. The MAGP calls for 

 vessels to be permanently withdrawn from EC rolls, 

 through transfer to non-fishing status, sale to third 

 countries, or scrapping. The number of EC vessels 

 that will be decommissioned ultimately depends upon 

 the success of EC negotiators in gaining access to 

 Namibian waters and to the success of the Argentine 

 agreement when it is approved. 



The authors believe that approximately 30 non- 

 EC high-seas vessels could be sold between 1993 and 

 1995.'^ Icelandic fishermen are likely to sell some 

 used vessels to reduce operating costs of companies 

 adversely affected by the current (1991-93) decline in 

 cod stocks, which are not expected to recover until 

 1996-98. Norwegian fishermen may also sell some 

 vessels during 1993-94. Faroese fishing vessels, in 

 particular, are for sale at attractive prices. The 

 vessels were built with generous state subsidies and 



