Sea fishing: Senegal and Guinea-Bissau renew their agreement
Senegal and Guinea-Bissau have renewed their agreement on maritime fishing. The signing ceremony took place on 23 February 2024 in Dakar. It took place on the occasion of the meeting of the technical committee for the monitoring and evaluation of the protocol for the application of the Convention in the field of maritime fisheries, signed in Dakar on 22 December 1978, between the Government of Senegal and that of Guinea Bissau.
From 21 to 23 February 2024, the Technical Committee for the Monitoring and Evaluation of the Protocol for the Application of the Convention in the Field of Maritime Fisheries between Senegal and Guinea Bissau, signed on 1 February 2022 in Dakar, met in Dakar.
The aim of this meeting is to evaluate the Protocol of 1 February 2022, which has been extended for a period of three (03) months.
Mr Diéne FAYE, Senegal’s Director of Maritime Fisheries, expressed his disappointment at the lack of evaluation of the expired protocol, which expired on 1 February 2024 and was extended for three (O3) months.
The Technical Monitoring and Evaluation Committee, which was supposed to meet twice (02) a year, was unable to hold any meetings during the entire period of validity of the protocol, due to events beyond the control of the Parties. The DPM recalled the strategic importance of this protocol for the two (02) Parties and expressed the hopes placed in the results of this evaluation meeting which, beyond the assessment, will make it possible to reflect on a simplification of the procedures of implementation to facilitate the execution and a better follow-up of the activities.
Mr Amadou DJALO, Director General of Industrial Fisheries in Guinea Bissau, welcomed the extension of the current protocol and announced that the two (02) parties would have to draw up a timetable for the negotiation of a new protocol.
With regard to the assessment, industrial fishing catches by Senegalese vessels under the current protocol amounted to around 1,417 tonnes in 2022, and by-catches for the various fishing segments (crustaceans, cephalopods and demersal fish) are governed by its provisions.
The 2023 management plan provided for 128 vessels for 90 authorised, and in 2024, 144 vessels are planned, excluding tuna vessels.
Other points discussed included
- The administrative formalities involved in obtaining a fishing licence;
- The main difficulties encountered by stakeholders at sea;
- The state of implementation in small-scale fishing;
- The implementation situation in industrial fishing;
- Boardings at sea.
The Minister for Fisheries and the Maritime Economy, Papa Sagna MBAYE, presided over the ceremony. He expressed his satisfaction with the progress of the consultations and praised the commitment of his Guinea-Bissau counterpart, Mr Mario Musante Da Silva LOUREIRO, to ensuring the long-term future of this 2-year-old fisheries agreement.
Ministry of Fisheries and Maritime Economy of Senegal
