Delegations from the EU and Seychelles have successfully initiated an inter-governmental fishing agreement which will allow Seychelles flagged vessels to continue fishing operations in the waters of Mayotte.
These waters will be part of the EU when Mayotte becomes an outermost region of the EU on 1 January 2014.
The agreement will allow eight tuna purse seine vessels to operate in the waters of Mayotte under the jurisdiction of the EU for the next six years with the required payment of a license and catch fees coming directly from the ship-owners.
This agreement will further bolster the cooperation and joint efforts to maintain and expand general fishery governance based on the highest standards of sustainability, transparency, control and monitoring of the respective fleets – principles consistent with those of the reformed Common Fisheries Policy (CFP).
For the EU this is the first inter-governmental agreement which has provided the right to fish to vessels of a third country in its waters on the payment of fees.
These vessels will be subject to the rules and regulations of the CFP and the conservation and management measures established by the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC), the body responsible for the management of the tuna stocks in the Indian Ocean.
This also ensures Seychelles the continuity of the operations of its fleet, thus contributing to Seychelles’ blue economy.
With the agreement, Seychelles fulfils its obligations as a responsible flag state by enforcing the actions agreed under IOTC to safeguard the sustainability of the resource.