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Scottish fishing sector favours illegal fisheries in occupied waters
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Leading figures from the Scottish fishing sector pled for the continuation of the EU-Morocco Fisheries Partnership Agreement, at a conference hosted by Scottish MEP Struan Stevenson last Thursday in Gibraltar.
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Struan Stevenson, Scottish conservative MEP, is convinced that the much criticised EU-Morocco fish pact should be extended. “If the EU walks away from this critical deal, Russia, China or Korea would be sure to step in. In such circumstances, conservation efforts and jobs would disappear. Also, more than 100 Spanish trawlers would be displaced back into EU waters, where most fish stocks are already fully exploited”.

Yet an independent evaluation study issued by a consultancy firm at the request of the European Commission, shows that all stocks in Morocco and Western Sahara are already fully exploited. As a consequence, continued EU fishing could severely harm the region’s fish stocks, the evaluation reads.

The report also concluded that the European Union's controversial fisheries agreement with Morocco is the least cost-effective of all the EU's existing fishing deals with third countries. Every euro invested under the agreement generated just €0.65 in added value.

Not only has the agreement been costing the EU millions of Euros and has it contributed to depleting the fish stocks in both Morocco and Western Sahara, it is also considered in violation of international law by UN and EU lawyers. In 2002, the UN issued a legal opinion stipulating that economic activities in Western Sahara could only be lawful if they’d take into account the wishes and interests of the people of the territory. For failing in both aspects, the European Parliament’s lawyers in July 2009 labelled the fish agreement with Morocco to be violation of international law.

But these elements were not discussed at the Gibraltar conference. Instead, the floor was given to Ian Gatt, chief executive of the Scottish Pelagic Fishermen’s Association (SPFA), and George Nicol, owner of the Scottish boat “Krossfjord” that has been fishing occupied Western Sahara’s waters for years. Nicol also owns a processing plant in Dakhla, all the way in the south of Africa’s last colony.

Ian Gatt was quoted saying: “Scottish fishing operations have provided a huge number of jobs in the Western Sahara area and should be rewarded for this initiative.” He added that the UK has had a “positive effect in the Western Saharan territory.”

People from the territory, the Saharawi, living either under the yoke of Moroccan occupation or in forgotten refugee camps in the inhospitable Algerian desert, were not invited to explain how their lives have been affected by the EU’s fish deal with the regime occupying their homeland.




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News:

15.10 - 2019 / 15.10 - 2019THIS PAGE IS NO LONGER UPDATED
23.10 - 2015 / 23.10 - 2015Morocco continues to discard by-catches in occupied Western Sahara
29.06 - 2015 / 29.06 - 2015Moroccan government accused of fraud with EU anti-driftnet money
02.12 - 2014 / 02.12 - 2014Maria Damanaki opposed continued EU fishing in Western Sahara
18.09 - 2014 / 18.09 - 2014EU-Morocco fish deal: who's shown an interest so far?
18.09 - 2014 / 18.09 - 2014Dutch first to fish under unethical EU-Morocco fish deal
09.08 - 2014 / 09.08 - 2014UN former legal chief slams EU legal view as "preposterous"
21.07 - 2014 / 21.07 - 2014Illegal EU fish agreement with Morocco now ratified by King
14.03 - 2014 / 14.03 - 20149 detained, threats of jail if demonstrating against EU fisheries
11.02 - 2014 / 11.02 - 2014Here are the EU states that will benefit from the dirty fisheries
11.02 - 2014 / 11.02 - 2014Morocco adopts contentious EU-Morocco fish deal
10.12 - 2013 / 10.12 - 2013Occupied Sahara: EU undermining Human Rights on Human Rights Day
08.12 - 2013 / 08.12 - 2013More vids of demonstration and victims of EU/Moroccan plans in Sahara
08.12 - 2013 / 08.12 - 2013Western Sahara president asks UN intervention to stop EU and Morocco
08.12 - 2013 / 08.12 - 2013Many injured in protest against EU/Spain fish plans in Western Sahara
05.12 - 2013 / 05.12 - 2013EU fish plans illegal, 21 jurists and lawyers state
05.12 - 2013 / 05.12 - 2013267 organisations ask European Parliament to reject fish accord
04.12 - 2013 / 04.12 - 2013President of African Parliament calls on EU to respect Sahara rights
02.12 - 2013 / 02.12 - 2013Greenpeace: EU parliament must vote no to Western Sahara fisheries
18.11 - 2013 / 18.11 - 2013European Liberal Youth calls for no EU fishing in occupied Sahara






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The EU considers to pay Morocco to fish in occupied Western Sahara. An EU-Morocco Fisheries Agreement from 2013 would be both politically controversial and in violation of international law. The international Fish Elsewhere! campaign demands the EU to avoid such unethical operations, and go fishing somewhere else. No fishing in Western Sahara should take place until the conflict is solved.
عريضة لوقف النهب

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يحضر الاتحاد الاوربي لإبرام اتفاق غير اخلاقي جديد للصيد البحري مع المغرب في سنة 2013.

مرة اخرى، يعتزم الاتحاد الاوربي الصيد في المياه الاقليمية للصحراء الغربية المحتلة في خرق سافر للقانون الدولي. وقع هذه العريضة للتنديد بذلك.

"EU fisheries in Western Sahara must be stopped"




Western Sahara human rights activist Aminatou Haidar hopes for increased attention to the EU plundering of occupied Western Sahara.

READ ALSO

10.04 - 2012
Guardian: EU taking its over-fishing habits to west African waters?
15.12 - 2011
EU Observer: Morocco expels EU fishing boats
15.12 - 2011
BBC News: Morocco's fish fight: High stakes over Western Sahara
15.12 - 2011
European Voice: MEPs reject EU-Morocco fisheries pact
15.12 - 2011
Reuters: EU lawmakers reject Morocco fisheries pact






Human rights activist Malak Amidane denounces EU fisheries