This was confirmed by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment in an official order resulting from an EU/Mauritania agreement that fishing opportunities in the area were limited.
The six month extension renews aid given to the fishing businesses and will mainly affect cephalopod and shellfish trawlers in the O Morrazo region of Galicia and shellfish trawlers in the Canary Islands and Andalusia.
A meeting last month between the EU and Mauritanian fishing authorities ruled that there had been ‘small improvements’ in the populations although still insufficient.
The Spanish government has said it is working tirelessly to assess the possibility of returning to Mauritanian waters. Should the ministry not achieve its goal then official non-use complaint procedures will be initiated.
Further meetings for the 2-5 April are scheduled to assess cephalopod stocks.
