Source: Fish Information and Services
The Council of Ministers of Spain approved the delivery of a Euro 12.8 million loan to fund infrastructure design, supply and construction projects for processing, freezing and preserving fish in Cape Verdean territory.
As reported by Panapress, a coordination centre of the activities related to the regional fishing sector will be installed in the city of Mindelo on the island of São Vicente.
In addition, the center will have to support Spanish companies operating in the archipelago of Cape Verde.
According to the Minister of the Presidency, Alfonso Rueda, this African country is strategic for the Galician economy, given the presence of many Spanish companies.
The construction of a cold-storage store has been planned in Puerto Grande by the firm Friologic, from Spain.
In these facilities, the processing, freezing and preservation processes of fishery products will be performed.
The Cape Verdean administration intends to transform the port of the island of São Vicente into a fishing base for international reference for industrial fleets with particular respect to those matters related to the hygiene and health of fish stocks.
Cape Verde and the European Union (EU) have reached a new 3-year fisheries agreement since last September 1, 2011, which allows EU vessels to catch a quota of 5,000 tons of fish per year in Cape Verdean waters.
The EU pays an annual compensation of Euro 435,000. In addition, the Cape Verdean State will be granted Euro 110,000 to implement the policy of the fisheries sector. This brings the annual license cost per M/T of tuna at about USD 100.
Under the new agreement, those vessels authorized to fish in waters of Cape Verde are:
• 28 tuna purse seiners
• 11 bait boats
• 35 surface longliners
Spain is one of the countries that obtain most benefits from this agreement.