The EU's decision to help Morocco phase out its illegal driftnet fleet, as a part of the new Fisheries Partnership Agreements is a "major step forward in the move towards more sustainable agreements and the fight against the use of driftnets in the Mediterranean Sea," said WWF, the global conservation organization.
According to it, this agreement should lead to the end of driftnet fishing in the Mediterranean Sea. Under the new Agreement, a total of 119 EU vessels (mostly Spanish) will be allowed to fish in Moroccan waters in exchange for EU compensation of 36 million euros per year. A part of this amount will be earmarked for measures specifically designed to fund the conversion of its illegal driftnet fleet.
