Small Pelagics Management
Legal and Regulatory Framework
There are quotas for the small pelagics in Mauritania since 2018 to better target the human consumption market and avoid overfishing. According to this regulation, all factories must have a freezing unit in order to run a fish meal fish oil production. - Ministerial decree n°643, 30/06/2021, article 3
Otherwise, they are limited to a certain amount of fish.
Other rules apply to orientate some species to Human Consumption:
- 100 % of sardinella goes to the freezing units. No sardinella can go directly to fish meal production, this is not allowed.
- 20 % of sardine must be sent to the freezing units and 80 % is allowed to go to the fish meal production. - Circular Note °000304, 29/04/2024
- Fish that are unfit for human consumption (after verification of ONISPA) can be sent for fish meal production.
Find all legal texts on the official website of the Ministry of Fisheries and Maritime Economy: Ministère des Pêches et de l'Économie Maritime- وزارة الصيد والاقتصاد البحري (peches.gov.mr)
Quota Management and Social Responsibility in Small Pelagics Fisheries
There are also quotas allowing the vessels to fish only a specific quantity defined based on the freezing unit capacity they will be delivering.
This to ensure that there is not more fishing activity that what can be transformed and processed.
On top of these regulations, the SNDP (Société Nationale de Distribution de Poisson) was created in Mauritania to distribute free fish to the most vulnerable population. This company is supplied by the fishing boats, which are required to give it 2% of their catches for free. If they cannot accept the fish, they are required to provide a monetary equivalent, which commonly happens for landings of sardine, since this species is not wanted by the end users of SNDP fish.
Controls: how are they carried out?
Local authorities in Mauritania considerably reinforced the controls at landing, sorting, before and after processing to ensure that the quotas are respected and that the relevant fishes go to the human consumption market.
Here are the steps and controls for the small pelagics in Mauritania.
-
Vessels must have a fishing license that specifies the species, fishing zone, technical characteristics of the vessel, and the mesh size of the fishing net before being authorized to fish.
-
The mandatory presence on board of a "CREW LIST" that includes the name of each crew member (name, date of birth, seaman's book number, and their role on the vessel). This list is signed by the regional maritime authority after verifying the specific documents related to the vessel: the seaman's book, type of fishing license, and employment contracts of the crew members on board. Without the document signed by the maritime authority, the vessel is not authorized to fish.
-
A technical inspection is carried out after each license is obtained by agencies approved by the MPEM to verify the compliance of the granted license with the characteristics of the vessel.
-
Authorizations are given to land in the Nouadhibou port
-
Controls by the local authorities at landing
-
Coast guards (vessel documentation, “note de pêche” with fish species, fishing zones, respect of the quotas, etc.)
-
ONISPA sanitary inspection (decision of fish destination: human consumption, freezing units, or FMFOs). An official paper is delivered indicating that the control has been done and to which factory the fish can go.
-
IMROP samples (not systematic) to collect data on catch for scientific purposes
-
-
Each vessel is equipped with a position monitoring beacon that instantly displays its location on the coast guard's control screens. Any failure to receive the signal is considered a serious violation, punishable by a fine.
-
Other controls by the Coast guards at arrival in the factories (documentation, authorizations, fish species, etc.).
-
According to the decision of ONISPA, the fish can be sent to the freezing unit, or some may be used in fish meal / fish oil production (by-products, inappropriate species, quotas, etc.)
