Mozambique And EU Talk About 8000 MT Tuna Fishing Deal ff

Mozambique is negotiating the renewal of its fishing agreement with the European Union, but, according to Fisheries Minister Cadmiel Muthemba, the first round of negotiations, earlier this month, was left unfinished because there were still questions from the previous accord “to be reviewed”.

“We’re negotiating with the EU over fishing rights for gamba (deep water prawns), since they want to take this product out of the agreement”, said Muthemba. “So it’s necessary to think about the philosophy of this new agreement. We’re studying the advantages of an agreement which doesn't include gamba”.

The current fisheries agreement was signed in December 2003 for a period of three years. Under the agreement Mozambique allowed the EU to catch 1,000 tons of gamba and 8,000 tons of tuna per year in its waters, receiving in compensation 3.5 million euros for the gamba and 600,000 euros for the tuna.

However, since the agreement was signed the EU vessels have only fished for tuna, and have not caught any gamba. Despite this the compensation for the gamba was paid. So when the EU approached the Fisheries Ministry to renew the agreement, it proposed that gamba should no longer be included.

According to the head of the international cooperation department in the Ministry, Angelica Dengo, removing gamba from the agreement would mean a sharp reduction in the foreign exchange that Mozambique obtains through the deal. Currently gamba accounts for over 85 per cent of the money Mozambique obtains for these fishing rights.

So Dengo does not want any agreement that reduces the amount of money entering Mozambican coffers. In her view any future agreement must at least maintain, if not increase, the money Mozambique receives. “That’s why we shall demand an agreement for both gamba and tuna, aimed at sustainable development”, she said.

Mozambique signed its first fishing agreement with the EU in 1988, but denounced it in 1993. At that time, according to Dengo, Mozambique was drawing up its own fisheries master plans, and wanted to provide more opportunities for the country’s own expanding fishing industry.

When Mozambican private companies proved unable to exploit all the available resources, she said, a fresh agreement was negotiated with the EU in 2003.