MAURITANIA 



The U.S. Embassy in Nouakchott, Mauritania, prepared the following report on the fisheries of Mauritania. 

 The report has been edited only slightly to help it conform to other country reports. 6 



1. General Background 



Mauritania has some of Africa's most abundant 

 fisheries along its 525-kilometer coast. Until 1978, 

 the country's waters were fished almost exclusively 

 by foreign-controlled companies, which generally 

 processed their catches on the high-seas and unloaded 

 them abroad. In 1979, the Government of 

 Mauritania inaugurated a new fishing policy to gain 

 control of the harvesting and processing of the 

 country's fishing resources. As a result, licensing of 

 foreign firms has mostly been replaced by the 

 creation of Mauritanian-controlled fishing companies 

 and joint ventures. In the 1980s, the Mauritanian 

 fishing industry grew to become the most critical 

 sector in the country's economy. The main species 

 fished in Mauritanian waters are classified in the 

 following groups: 



 Cephalopods (octopus, cuttlefish and squid) 



 Continental shelf (hakes, lobster, and shrimps) 



 Pelagic resources (mackerel and sardines) 



 Yellowfin and big-eye tuna 



In October 1992, the Mauritanian industrial 

 fishing fleet consisted of 263 vessels, as follows: 



 149 vessels possessing permits, including 106 

 vessels with freezers and 43 vessels with 

 refrigerators. 



 114 chartered vessels, including 70 vessels 

 with freezers and 44 vessels with refrigerators. 



2. Licensing 



Until 1979, there was no meaningful regulation 

 of the fishing sector. The only way for the country 

 to obtain the benefit of the hard currency generated 

 by the fishing sector was by selling licenses. At that 

 time, individual vessels were licensed. Accordingly, 

 an operator could obtain several licenses. This 

 practice came to be viewed as prejudicial to 

 Mauritania's national interest and the government 

 decided to limit the sales of licenses. The specific 

 regulations of fishing by foreign fleets are elaborated 

 in the protocol agreement between Mauritania and 

 each partner. However, in 1987, the Ministry of 

 Fisheries and Maritime Economy and the Ministry of 

 Finance drew up a document defining a new sectoral 

 development strategy aimed at promoting the rational 

 use of Mauritania's marine resources and protecting 

 the marine environment. 



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