2. Local Sale Requirements 



5. Aid Programs 



The Government of Benin requires that all fish 

 caught within the Beninese Exclusive Economic Zone 

 (EEZ) be offloaded at port of Cotonu, for sale within 

 Benin. Shrimp caught within Benin's EEZ, however, 

 are exempt from this requirement. Consequentially, 

 the licensing fees for shrimp vessels are higher than 

 those for fishing vessels. All vessels, regardless of 

 catch, must declare the composition of their catch and 

 undergo an inspection at the PAC. 



Not surprisingly, Government of Benin fisheries 

 officials report that few vessels choose to endure this 

 laborious process to become legal. In 1992, only 15 

 vessels were certified. This number has remained 

 relatively stable since 1980. Most vessels are of 

 Nigerian origin; those vessels of European origin are 

 reportedly French, Greek, or Portuguese. The 

 Government of Benin officials were unable to provide 

 a precise accounting of the nationalities of fishing 

 vessels licensed. Species chiefly fished: shrimp, 

 lobster, tuna. 



There are currently no fishery aid programs 

 existent at the multilateral level, according to the 

 Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the 

 United Nations in Benin. The United States Agency 

 for International Development (USAID) in Benin also 

 has no fishery projects, nor does the U.S. Peace 

 Corps in Benin. However, the U.S. Embassy has 

 learned of a German fisheries project, aimed chiefly 

 at small-scale artisanal fishermen This project, 

 situated in the Cotonou lagoon (saltwater estuary), 

 employs one full-time paid director and several 

 volunteers. An exact dollar figure is unavailable. 

 Additionally, the Government of Benin received a gift 

 of two vessels (of twelve and sixteen meters length) 

 from the Government of Japan in 1990. These 

 vessels are used for research purposes; one Japanese 

 national (scientist/researcher paid by the Japanese 

 Government) actively employs these vessels in 

 ongoing research. Dollar figures are not available. 



6. Shipbuilding 



3. International Agreements 



According to the Government of Benin fishery 

 officials, there are no bilateral fishery agreements 

 currently existing. Benin has participated in the UN 

 Conference on the Law of the Sea, and "adheres to 

 these regulations and precedents. " Benin receives no 

 specific tariff preferences as a result of bilateral 

 fisheries accords. However, many Beninese export 

 commodities (including fish) receive preferential 

 treatment. 



4. Joint Ventures 



No joint ventures currently exist in Benin. 

 Under a previous regime a joint Benin-Libyan 

 concern existed ("hen-lyb-peche"), which was aimed 

 at the Beninese domestic fresh fish market. This 

 venture has since ceased to exist, however. 

 Government of Benin fisheries officials speculate that 

 the closing of this venture is more related to the 

 recent change of Beninese political regimes (from 

 Marxist-Leninist to Pluralistic Democracy) than the 

 profitability of the enterprise. 



The local shipbuilding industry is virtually 

 nonexistent. The Embassy knows of no local 

 shipwrights capable of constructing ocean-going 

 vessels of sufficient size to undertake commercial 

 fishing activities. No special provisions exist within 

 the Beninese customs code regarding the specific 

 importation of new or used fishing vessels. Benin 

 does give preferential customs treatment to foreign 

 investments which meet certain criteria (local 

 employment, size of investment, value-added nature). 

 These criteria are outlined in chapter five of the 

 Beninese investment code ("LOI No. 90-002 du 9 

 Mai 1990"). It is therefore presumed that used or 

 new fishing vessels imported as a component of a 

 broader package of foreign investment could enter 

 duty-free. 



7. Transhipments 



Figures from the autonomous port of Cotonou 

 indicate that, for the first nine months of 1992, 

 10,523 tons of frozen fish were off-loaded in 

 Cotonou, including 2,526 tons being transshipped to 

 Nigerian markets. This figure, however, includes 

 fish not caught in the Beninese EEZ. As previously 

 mentioned, the Government of Benin requires that all 

 fish caught in EEZ be sold within the Benin market. 



