Mauritania delivers 500 fishing permits to Senegal in line with fishing agreement

Senegal Monday handed to Guet Ndar fishermen from Saint Louis 500 fishing permits granted by Mauritania as part of the fishing agreement between the two countries.

“We are gathered here to distribute 500 fishing licenses that the Mauritanian government has allocated to Guet Ndari fishermen, representing the equivalent of 50 thousand tons of fish”, said Pape Sagna Mbaye, the country’s Minister of Fisheries and Maritime Economy.

The ceremony came following an October protest by the fisher folks against authorities over the delay in the effectiveness of the fishing agreement inked with Mauritania that grants 400 fishing permits to Senegalese fisher folks to operate in Mauritania’s waters.

Both countries signed a deal in 2018 for Mauritania to provide permits to 400 Senegalese boats and allow them to catch 50,000 tons of fisheries in Mauritania’s high seas.
Mauritania, also a part of the deal, will get 15 euros from the Senegalese side per a ton of fish caught.

The agreement came following the killing of a Senegalese fisherman by Mauritanian coast guards in January same year.

The demonstrators slammed the delay in the issuance of the permits which should be for free but turn out to be paid for, local media Leral.net reports.

They called on President Macky Sall to intercede for them so that Mauritania effects that part of the deal to allow them to fish.