The Port of Las Palmas is holding its breath as the fisheries protocol between the European Union and Mauritania approaches its mid-November expiration. Talks between Brussels and Nouakchott are continuing in a delicate climate, amid disagreements over financial compensation and access quotas for fishing grounds. For Gran Canaria and Tenerife—which serves as a declining refrigerated, transshipment and re-export hub for fleets operating in West Africa—the stalemate threatens to directly hit the meager volume of catches processed and redistributed from their terminals to international markets.
A direct impact on the Canary Islands’ fleet and cold-storage industry
Is there a Canary Islands fleet? The islands are a financial base, not a landing site. The lack of an agreement puts access to an annual quota of 280,050 tonnes of crustaceans, demersal species, tuna and small pelagic fish at risk. The island fishing sector—although in reality it is Galician and Basque—represented in the urgent demands advanced by industry associations such as Europêche and European trade unions, is among the main groups affected, alongside the fleets of Andalusia, Galicia and the Basque Country. An interruption of operations in Mauritanian waters would cut off the flow of raw material that supplies Las Palmas’ ailing cold-storage and port-services infrastructure, a key link in meeting European consumption, which requires 10 million tonnes of fish and seafood annually.
The economic contest and the sustainability standoff
The dispute has stalled over the valuation of resources and financial compensation. The European Union defends the fairness of the current framework, which provides an annual contribution of €60.8 million to support the local sector, combat illegal fishing and strengthen scientific research. Mauritania, for its part, prioritizes the conservation of its marine stocks, food sovereignty and the protection of its national fleet. Spain’s Agriculture and Fisheries Minister, Luis Planas, has urged intensified contacts to prevent Community vessels from leaving a fishing zone that is strategically important to the archipelago’s economy.
Las Palmas as a guarantee of traceability and the value chain
Beyond direct catches, the Port of Las Palmas has emerged in this crisis as an irreplaceable link for both sides of the negotiations. Its operational capacity ensures compliance with health standards, traceability controls and the cold-chain logistics required by the European market for fish caught off the Mauritanian coast. The outcome of the protocol will not only determine whether the Canary Islands fleet’s licenses continue, but will also set the workload for the Puerto de La Luz terminals as the financial year draws to a close.
The article Canary Islands’ Meager Fishing Industry Hangs in the Balance as EU-Mauritania Deal Talks Near Breaking Point was first published on canarymaritime.com.
