The Spanish fleet faced its most serious setback 

 when Namibia declared independence in March 1991 

 and ordered all foreign vessels out of its newly 

 declared 200-mile EEZ." The announcement 

 impacted 202 Spanish vessels fishing off Namibia." 

 Unfortimately, some Spanish vessel owners continued 

 to fish illegally in Namibian waters. This generated 

 strong resentment in the newly independent state and 

 led to several Spanish vessels being seized for illegal 

 fishing. Severe fines were imposed and several 

 vessels and their catches were confiscated. Pending 

 negotiations with the EC broke off in the face of 

 continued illegal fishing. Many of these 202 vessels 

 returned to Vigo where they have been tied up for 

 several years. A few vessels were able to switch to 

 fishing grounds off Canada or the Falkland Islands. 

 The situation for m.ost of these vessels, however, has 

 grown increasingly desperate. The loss of these 

 important fishing grounds might help explain the 

 reversal in the steady growth of the Spanish high-seas 

 fleet through 1991 and the decommissioning of 15 

 ships in 1992. 



7. Fleet Dispersal Plans 



Returning many of Spain's fleet of idle trawlers 

 to fishing off Namibia is a primary goal of most 

 Spanish fleet owners. If they fail to accomplish this 

 goal in the next 1-2 years, it is possible that most of 

 these vessels will have to be sold. Spanish fleet 

 owners are also concerned with fighting off 

 reductions mandated in the MAGP. Again, if 

 Spanish fleet owners are unable to regain access to 

 Namibian waters, they will have no alternative, 

 except to comply with EC fleet reduction 

 directives. . .or possibly to seek alternative approaches 

 to fishing, including the possibility of reflagging their 

 vessels. Eighteen Spanish vessels were reflagged in 

 Panama in 1993 (table 4). 



Spanish fleet owners have begun preparation for 

 moving some of their idled fleet into waters of 

 Argentina as part of the newly negotiated agreement 

 with that country. This will allow a significant 

 number of vessels to shift into new grounds, but will 

 continue to leave many vessels idle. The Spaniards 

 hope that some of those remaining vessels will be 

 allowed to resume fishing off Namibia and that the 

 oldest vessels can be decommissioned in compliance 

 with EC directives. 



The Spanish tuna fleet is also very modem and 

 successfully fishing for tuna off West Africa and in 

 the Indian Ocean. This fleet, much like the French 

 tuna fleet, might seek opportunities in the Pacific 

 Ocean if catch levels begin to decline in their current 

 fishing grounds. The Spanish, unlike the French, 

 will have to wait for the EC to forge new fishery 

 agreements since they do not have any EC-sanctioned 

 ties in the Pacific region. Those unwilling to wait 

 can reflag their vessels. One Spanish tuna vessel, the 

 Isabel Tuna, was reflagged in Cyprus in 1990 and 

 has been fishing in the Eastern Tropical Pacific for 

 the past few years. The Spanish have either sold or 

 reflagged at least 5 tuna vessels in Panama (table 4). 

 It should also be noted that a Spanish-flag purse 

 seiner, the Montedaro (879-GRT), sank in waters in 

 the Eastern tropical Pacific on July 14, 1993.5'' jjjjj 

 suggests that Spain may already be investigating, if 

 not actively fishing, tuna in the Pacific." 



One important distinction sets Spanish fishermen 

 apart from many other European fishermen: they are 

 actively fishing throughout the world and have years 

 of experience fishing in distant-waters throughout the 

 world (table 3). While other nations may have large 

 fleets of modem vessels, many of their fishermen 

 have remained close to home. The Spanish, by 

 contrast, appear willing to fish from waters off the 

 Antarctic to the Arctic. Spanish fishermen represent 

 the single largest group in Europe that is able to fish 

 anywhere in the world. 



A vital, and as yet unanswered question, is 

 whether the EC will be able to negotiate access to 

 Namibia and Argentina - and possibly other Latin 

 American countries. If the EC fails to do so, it is 

 possible that some Spanish vessel owners could 

 decommission their vessels from EC rolls and reflag 

 their vessels in other countries. ^^ This could pose a 

 very serious problem for fishery administrators 

 around the world. 



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