Fishermen to gain from Moroccan fisheries agreement

The Government has voted in favour of an EU fisheries deal with Morocco which will mean that Irish fishermen will net an extra quota of 7,500 tonnes of fish every year.

Ministers in Brussels passed the deal which means that fishermen from Ireland, Spain, France and other EU states will be allowed fish in Western Sahara’s territorial waters from July 1st, 2006. It was passed even though a ruling by the International Court of Justice found that the Saharans have the right to self-determination. Efforts by the UN to organise a referendum were rejected by Morocco.

Sweden was the only EU state to vote against the deal. They said that they were worried that the deal was unlawful as Morocco had no right to exploit the industry’s resources.
Irish Fisheries Minister John Browne was not available for comment. An official said, however, that the deal should give benefits for the Western Saharan people. Ireland supported the deal on condition that it does not “prejudice the long-standing position of the EU on the status of the Western Sahara”.

Around 150,000 native nomadic Saharans were forced to leave the territory when Morocco illegally divided the territory after Spain withdrew in 1976. At the moment they are living in refugee camps close to the border with Western Sahara.