6. Shipyards 



Mauritania 



There is no shipbuilding in Mauritania. In the 

 1980s, the Government of Mauritania promoted 

 imports of fishing vessels by encouraging local banks 

 to finance vessel purchases. However, many vessel 

 owners have been unable to repay their bank loans, 

 and this has caused major losses in Mauritania's 

 banking sector. Presently, Mauritanian commercial 

 banks are unable to finance the repair of damaged 

 vessels, and a large part of the fleet is paralyzed. 



7. Transshipments 



Mauritanian ports are not used as supply or 

 transshipment points for distant water fleets. 



30Okm 



8. Enforcement 



The Government of Mauritania has only a limited 

 capability to control and regulate foreign fishing. 

 The Mauritanian coast is inadequately policed, with 

 the result that over-fishing is widespread. Industrial 

 demersal fishing vessels make frequent incursions 

 into the zone reserved for artisanal fisheries. A 

 World Bank-financed project for supervision and 

 control was implemented, but the even application of 

 sanctions for violations remains a problem. From 

 1988 to 1992, among 1,340 infractions registered, 

 only 658 cases (approximately 47 percent) were 

 actually acted upon by the commission responsible for 

 imposing sanctions. The highest percentage of cases 

 handled (68 percent) involved the less serious 

 infractions— for example, violations of crewing 

 regulations and expiration of a vessel's "safety 

 certificate." The more serious infractions — for 

 example, of regulations of size of catch and mesh 

 size of nets — represented only 32 percent of total 

 infractions reaching the commission. In this period, 

 the Government of Mauritania imposed fines totalling 

 approximately $5 million, but of this amount only $3 

 million has been paid. 



16 



