Overview
Status: Protocol in place
Type of agreement: Tuna
Protocol dates: 21 December 2022 – 20 December 2026
EU total financial contribution: €725,000 per year
The EU and Mauritius have a long-standing fisheries partnership, first agreed in 1989.
The fisheries partnership agreement (FPA) between the European Union and Mauritius, signed on 21 December 2013, entered into force on 28 January 2014. It lasts for six years and automatically renews for three-year periods.
The current fisheries protocol covers the period from 21 December 2022 to 20 December 2026.
Financial details
EU financial contribution: €725,000 per year, with €275,000 dedicated to the sustainable development of Mauritius’ fisheries policy and €175,000 for the development of the maritime policy and ocean economy.
Fees for operators: €80 per tonne caught.
- Advance payment for tuna seiners: €9,360 per year (117t)
- Advance payment for long-lines (above 100 GT): €4,560 (57t)
- Advance payment for long-lines (below 100 GT): €2,400 (30t)
- Supply vessels: €5,000 per year
- Observer fees: each purse seine vessel will contribute an amount of €20 per fishing day in Mauritius waters
Access to waters
Reference tonnage: 5,500 tonnes per year
Fishing access: Vessels from Spain, France, Portugal, and Italy can fish in Mauritanian waters
| Fishing opportunities (number of vessels) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spain | France | Portugal | Italy | Total | |
| Tuna seiners | 22 | 16 | - | 2 | 40 |
| Surface long liners | 12 | 29 | 4 | - | 45 |
Sectoral support
The EU provides €450,000 to support sustainable fisheries, maritime policy and the blue economy.
The funding focuses on
- Developing and managing fisheries, including small-scale ones and aquaculture.
- Improving health standards and quality in the fisheries sector, boosting local production and exports.
- Strengthening fisheries monitoring, control and surveillance, especially against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
- Promoting scientifc research and cooperation in fisheries, including data collection and analysis.
- Development of infrastructure to support the growth of local fisheries.
Scientific advice
Tuna-like species are managed by the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC), which includes both the EU and Mauritius as members. The EU and Mauritius work together within IOTC to evaluate and manage tuna stocks. The EU’s tuna fleet fishes in compliance with IOTC’s rules.
According to the agreement and its implementing protocol, the EU and Mauritius can hold scientific meetings to assess and recommend ways to manage fishery resources sustainably.
News
Executive Vice-President Raffaele Fitto will host the High-Level Forum of the Outermost Regions in Brussels. Discussions will focus on strengthening resilience, competitiveness, and the valorisation of these regions' unique assets.
The EU is deeply concerned that most North-East Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC) members opposed the EU proposal to set the mackerel total allowable catch (TAC) in line with the scientific advice provided by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES).
Today, the European Commission published guidelines seeking to help EU countries in supporting small-scale fishers and enhancing transparency and good governance in the allocation of fishing opportunities by EU countries.