EC/Guinea-Bissau fisheries agreement: protocol for the period from 16 June 1997 to 15 June 2001

OBJECTIVE: conclusion of a new fisheries protocol between the Community and Guinea-Bissau establishing the financial and technical conditions for fishing by Community vessels in the latter's waters, from 16.06.1997 to 15.06.2001. SUBSTANCE: the protocol initialled between the parties on 04.06.1997 provides for the following fishing possibilities: .licences for freezer shrimp trawlers: 9600 gross registered tonnes (grt) per annum, .licences for freezer fin-fish and cephalopod trawlers: 3000 grt per annum, .licences for 37 freezer tuna seiners, .licences for 52 pole-and-line tuna vessels and surface longliners. An annex to the protocol lays down the conditions under which Community vessels may fish in Guinea-Bissau's waters, particularly licence application and issuing formalities (including the amount of the fee per type of vessel), conditions concerning statements of catch and by-catches, fishing zones and authorized meshes, and measures to be taken with regard to taking observers on board and signing on seamen. In return, Guinea-Bissau will receive financial compensation of ECU 34 000 000, payable in four equal annual instalments of ECU 8 500 000. If the state of fish stocks permits, fishing possibilities for shrimp trawlers and fin-fish and cephalopod trawlers may be increased at the Community's request by successive instalments of 1000 grt per annum. In that case, the financial compensation will be increased proportionately. In addition to this financial compensation, the Community will pay: .ECU 300 000 towards the financing of scientific or technical programmes to develop fisheries; .ECU 400 000 for awards for study and practical training for Guinean fishermen in the Community. .The Community is also committed to contribute a total of ECU 1 300 000 to the financing of the three small local programmes. In parallel, the Commission proposes to include in its Regulation a formula for allocating fishing possibilities to the Member States, taking as a basis the traditional division of fishing possibilities as provided for by the EC-Guinea Bissau agreement. This is as follows: - shrimp-fishing: .Italy: 4000 grt .Portugal: 3200 grt .Spain: 2400 grt -fishing for fin-fish/cephalopods: .Italy: 1000 grt .Spain: 2000 grt If licence applications from these States do not exhaust the fishing possibilities, the Commission may consider licence applications from any other Member State.�