Indeed, fish stocks in Mauritania are endangered due to the persistence of freezing on the high seas Their stocks are in permanent decline according to latest statistics. Overharvesting wild species particularly affects noble, high commercial value. Some of these species are endangered.
Note first that the design of freezing board was created by the Japanese genius, followed by their Russian neighbor to conquer, in the more remote fisheries, proteins which their countries are in deficit. But their use is allowed only outside their own territory.
These species are called noble severely assaulted since 1978 to date in their breeding habitat and marine wildlife critical component of their food is also destroyed at the same time, by an irrational and destructive exploitation.
Pelagic fish are migratory north-south and vice versa and follow the movement of the Gulf Stream current.
The stock of our fisheries resources has continued in recent years to show signs of weakness appear to indicate the level of production become more and more decreasing. This negative result is mainly due to three phenomena that develop in a fishing area in three levels: surface, semi-bottom and bottom:
1 ° / weapons used by the freezing on board ships
2 ° / fishing methods practiced at sea
3 ° / lack of skills for a professional and efficient control.

A1 ° / weapons typically used

1 ° / freezing vessels at sea have two kinds of nets with a presentable regulatory standards and routine control of a second heavy trawl made with lots of heavy weights and a heavy metal chain hitched along the bottom of the net for the good immerse the floor of the seabed. And, also, they add another net filter, mesh 2, 3 m / m. (System introduced by the Japanese during their fishing licenses in Mauritania under free).
 This net-sock, as called in the language of the profession, is placed inside the sac, stitched with thread trawling to ramander, scrapes the seabed, killing the eggs, destroys plankton, benthos and any marine wildlife and leaves out of the trawl that water away.
2 / This heavy weaponry used by all vessels fishing in Mauritania, including domestic and foreign pelagic. You've probably seen in movies and found reporting on fishing in Mauritania, the impressive number of birds following the boats at sea using this destructive materials. These birds recover small unmarketable fish, discarded dead and remain floating on the surface of the water, on board after sorting.
A2 ° / pelagic use three arms:
1 ° / The Light Armament for fishing pelagic species on the surface where they usually obtained the license
2 / The semi-heavy armament to catch squid and other species that are usually noble from the surface to the bottom where they have no license probably. And they say: the wrong fish.
Technically, there are no false fishing possible because it depends on the weaponry used in formal compliance with the standards defining the specification of equipment to use for each species to fish on license granted. But it seems it is outside the Ministry of Fisheries for lack of professional knowledge in this area because the areas are separate and distinct populations at sea that inhabit each zone are different from each other.
  But who is very familiar with the specific equipment and strictly limited to the three kinds of fish: pelagic, semi-bottom and bottom to the ministry and to the control of fisheries? From my perspective, this knowledge can be acquired only by professionals exist in our system. This is what produces the outright fraud and tall tales.
3 ° ° / The Arm for the background or normal ballast is heavy for everyday use. Reportedly the producers use both but with a predominance of heavy intake of fish which is substantially noble quad. This hypothesis is strengthened by the observation with the naked eye of the armada of birds that regularly monitors the Atlantic and Super Atlantic to retrieve their discarding of small fish and juveniles staying in normally breeding habitat.
And there are some vessels that have pelagic introduced internationally prohibited fishing which captures fish with a kind of lighting attractive to bring directly from the sea in an opening wedge in water and prepared specifically for this method with from fishing for the water outlet of the vessel. This method allows to fill the holds in 1:00 to 2:00 with a minimum of ninety (80 tons / hour).
B ° / methods practiced by boats
1 ° / freezers All these vessels, all specifications together, dredge with heavy trawls every night from their fishing grounds to the limit of their water-taking from the beach and out in the early morning of the area prohibited.
All vessels using the freezing on board prohibited material on a regular basis especially in night fishing and day to signal the watcher paid to regularly monitor the outputs of the control vessels fishing or diving.
During the tide: Sorting, classification, freezing 24/24, crating is provided by three teams of 3 x 8 hours. After fishing operations and the end of the tide, the prohibited material is stored in a hold special sealing off a portion of the ship difficult to locate or detectable to escape the routine monitoring or abandoned in the international area with anchor and buoy tracking GPS.
Once the full holds, the ship laid anchor in the International Zone where he is awaited by a transport vessel collecting the fraudulent sales of Mauritanian fish. This kind of practice is primarily the high end of our fishery products.
The worst of the freezing edge is the fact that high quality products, ready for export, are regularly sold by transshipment in the international zone and out of control.
These practices are the daily bread of the freezing edge of bottom fisheries of demersal and pelagic species.
° C / efficient control and lack of qualification
1 / From 1985 to 2000 about the illegal fishing piracy has reached its peak with the complicity of some Mauritanian officials especially with Spanish shipowners. Trawlers benefiting from this largesse were identified with large numbers for their long-range reconnaissance in order to avoid their control in the fishing area.
These unorthodox practices declined to order creation of fisheries but the trend has more or less retained its logic in a descending movement to date because staff have not changed much but given the evolution of all parameters of our environment, the behaviors are, how little attenuated.
2 / While the effectiveness of the control was below expectations because of the behavior mentioned above but the lack of technical knowledge and equipment of fishing on the other hand weakened the desired result. Indeed, control was handed over to the military prepared for war but not for the maritime economy.
 Therefore, they misunderstood the equipment included eg in the manufacture of a trawl which varies according to three levels targeted by the license granted by the authority concerned by this extremely important sector for the country's economy and its future.
To the credit of the colonizer that effectively ensured the preservation of our fisheries resources through efficient control of the Merchant Navy lets us have fond memories of his time.
This institution managed by maritime inscription in Nouadhibou rigorous monitoring all along our coastline with one or two stars and a sworn civilian personnel, armed with draconian regulations applicable to the offense of fishing.
 Civilian personnel responsible for monitoring was selected from competent fishermen.
It is still surprising that the French did not take advantage of this wealth unique to our independence. He had given throughout the period of colonization which permits to trawlers fishing for lobster from Brittany, artisanal fisheries at the counter of PGIS in Nouadhibou and artisanal fishermen whose Canarian population benefited enormously to employment and the supply of essential commodities including water imported from Marseilles.
In this regard, we can only thank the French, rightly, their behavior in this vital sector and we are also pleased to have known better preserve our renewable resource, better than ourselves.
Given the above, it turns out that the transfer of control and surveillance to the Navy was hardly the best option.
Our fish wealth is at least twice larger than the addition of our other mineral resources: iron, gold, oil and other for the simple reason that it is renewable and they are not.
What to do?
Respect for the importance of this resource depends on a good sound management, coupled with a planned strategy for the long term and our mind is cleared of secular wandering nomad who currently control our everyday behavior in the most important decision , at work, in the street, at home, meals and even flat on us in our deep sleep.
This spirit inevitably leads us to think only get rich very quickly and by all possible means and imagined. Thorough inspection of our society brings up clearly the paradox that accompanies financial bulimia. This observation is unfortunately widespread and one is led to ask: Who will take care of our future?? ....
The catch is to establish a planned approach that must include at least:
1 ° / Removal of freezing on the high seas soon: source of looting, fraud and especially destructive of the ecosystem and particularly breeding sites of our main resource. This strategy can be established and sustainable development for this sector than in the back of all production in Mauritanian soil.
2 / Develop small-scale fisheries and the cost of ice to better control the level of allowable production and a way to measure palpable effort operation and its effects on the source of the country, "where the also need to force the Europeans to do it than the fish fresh, they are free to export fresh and frozen locally. Such measures shall suffer no exception, but who wants to fish must respect our national interest. It is only at this price we can cooperate.
3 ° / Encourage transformation of all fish products as follows:
A / net of all species, steaks and other alterations allowing priority to supply the domestic market in the finished product frozen and frozen ready to cook.
The surplus must be intended for foreign markets and canned for export and domestic consumption.
 This produces a value of around 60% in addition to creating many job opportunities.
B / taper setting box 20 kg to encourage factory owners to move into existing processing to finished product, providing an important added value ranging from 40 to 60% and a clear added value and avoiding the example above SNIM of selling sand little value since the fifties instead of moving towards the transformation of ore into finished product whose value is one hundred times.
 But, she developed tourism which has nothing to do with its name and thus trades the miners held against those of the bailiffs of the former hotel MARHABA.
 We've seen everything in our dear country.
As incentives, the same factory owners should be funded at a progressive rate to be determined in proportion to their rate of conversion to finished product or zero-rated for two to four years.
C / Train staff supervision and control of the technically precise knowledge of fishing equipment and especially their specificity varies from one garment to another trawl and targeted fishery among the three categories.
D / Trigger campaign repeatedly by Radio, TV and newspapers to educate our people on the importance of fish and to be understood better emphasize his protein intake for better health. Demonstrate the ease it provides for food with: just a wire and a hook for catching fish of 3 kg / day, eating 1kg and 2 kg sell to cover the remaining needs.
 I'm sure if we ask the following questions to fisheries managers, it can not answer:
© What are the lengths of a midwater trawl, semi-bottom and bottom?
© What are the mesh arms to dead end?
© What is the width of the opening of the arms?
© There are how many and what weight sinkers, floats and vans ti?
Only technical knowledge can easily managed sector, understanding and it is the only key to its effectiveness with which control is not our strong now.

In 1982, at the end of a feasibility study that I had to lead an institution investing in the fishery in Mauritania, I was received by the late Sidi Mohamed Aly Oud, Minister of Fisheries at the time at which j 'I delivered my findings as follows:
In summary, I found that countries with significant fisheries resources does allow that the fresh fish by the simple means of operation, involving no danger to the ecosystem of the seabed for three main reasons:
1 / Ensure the supply of domestic markets as a first priority
2 ° / Controlling fishing effort and species fished
3 ° / Transform the surplus to achieve added value and create jobs
Freezing on the high seas is totally forbidden and those who occasionally sell limited licenses from three months to six, the octroyaient outside the area of ​​their fishery with strict control (including Australia and Canada).
I would have added that we should move towards this perspective to preserve our resources, starting with the removal of the freezing edge. And he told me that I fully understood but it was difficult for the time to stop this kind of fishing. But it was of course on the development of fishing fresh, starting with the craft. This is what he had committed before he left the ministry.
But the conditions of that time have changed significantly since the country's resources have increased significantly with the emergence of significant resources of gold, oil and others, including iron "SNIM" I always compared to its wealth'' fat dogs do not fall in food or in the manufacture of medicines care''! .................'' I ask readers to forgive me for speaking often of SNIM because its deficiency is severe. Why again, is not she who discovered the large deposit of Taziazit which is less than 70 km from its doors? Find the answer, I reserve for your reminder, if you do not find answer''! ..
. This new situation now gives decision makers the flexibility necessary to take enough distance to redress this vital sector of our economy.
From this interview, and despite my penchant for fishing fresh preserving the best resource I have advised my partners to opt for the acquisition of a fleet 50% and 50% edge freezing ice fishing because the Minister agreed on this formula through during our exchange of ideas on the development of the sector and its future.
The first departure from our fishery:
Upon creation of the GSPC in 1982, accompanied by the obligation of landing at Nouadhibou new lords-skimmers have appeared affluent period of landing in LAS PALMAS-.
During the period 1978 to 1982, he has created new rich relatively quickly by:
1 ° / sale of demersal and pelagic free licenses without charging for them, but get the greatest of ease and by all means the licenses from the Ministry of Fisheries.

2 ° / Freezers charter of demersal and pelagic reasons 35% of production without charging for them outside to avail the license to the owner
3 / The purchase, sale and use of Japanese tubs freezers downgraded and rejected by insurance but were, nonetheless, naturalized in Mauritania to increase the wrecks of the Bay of Nouadhibou.
4 / They barely repatriated the 10th of the amount of total sales of our fish products that were popular with an exceptionally high level of prices during the period spanning between 1978 to 1982.
5 ° / Influence peddling became juicy which lent itself the current situation.
The wise decision of the landing at Nouadhibou has baffled and what little he had to find another niche of easy money and in this desperate trial and error, they discover that the Chinese fishing companies had taken up residence in Las Palmas-, free zone. These companies were operating in Morocco, Guinea-Bissau and Angola.
 The Chinese communists of pure blood, serious, respectful of the law and practice into line with their education have been very reluctant to attractive offers from our lords-skimmers Las Palmas, became famous with the Mauritanian fish, finally, after many hesitation allowed to come in Mauritania with maximum guarantees and benefits for contractors including monthly royalties consistent for Mauritanians.
  2 / The second breach is the new agreement with China for processing of pelagic products in Nouadhibou. The economic analysis of this fine convention brings up that the only benefit received by Mauritania of the Convention is the pre-financing of the construction of the plant and all other benefits for the Chinese, including the use they the greatest need of the world.
 Financing shall be repaid within two years by the exploitation of the resource and we are indebted for the amount payable on maturity future, despite the amount of funding was determined by the Chinese without competition.
3 / The third strain, we have provided a major bonus of fifteen ships of bottom fishing for the Chinese. This is a convention too, too much too unbalanced and whose consequences are extremely serious for the future of our economy and maritime, especially the part bottom fishing that nothing can justify?
Unfortunately, it is the national resource who pays the piper. The State, the legal owner of the resource and guard the best interests of the national community is excluded from the deal and consequently of the whole equation as a whole. He only gets the crumbs through the customs and tax officials, if they are not capped in advance.
 But to err is human but not generating right.
. These are still painful sprains in the fisheries sector, made by ourselves against our own future. We must avoid selling off an essential part of our national economy.
History records, talk and talk!!!!!! ..............
         On this occasion, let's take a close look at the needs of the world's food proteins which are only 30% covered by red and white meat and 70% are found only in fish resources.
          Consequently and given the ever-increasing world population, increased significantly improved by better health coverage in the world, greatly reducing mortality rates at all ages, this creates a way constant strong demand for fishery products by the force of needed food.
          This growing trend offers holders of fishery resources the ability to impose their diktat in this area and form a cartel more important than oil because human logic will have to eat first before thinking about light and heating.
           The combination of all these factors brings up a growing interest in fish products, the only things bearing the protein deficit in feeding the world. Certainly, the producers of these resources can be at their ease, they know to enjoy the real dimension of maritime economy, which does not seem to be our case at least right now.
            The relative population / nutrition world will be permanently always in favor of fish products.
           For this summary of this chapter, these parvenus were defeated and Mauritania according to their way of 1978-2005. They even reached the stage of considering the Ministers and senior officials of the State as responsible for their protocol and this is hardly a joke.
Indeed, the opening to every wind of fisheries, after the coup in 1978 has created many new men of wealth in a short time and in the confusion of this period where everything was allowed.
The enrichment of some or all Mauritanians is very good but although this should not be detrimental to the interests of the nation.
To achieve healthy decisions, we must naturally strong political will, courage and determination of policy makers to save this industry and that loss may well managed, be the final development bank and all other sectors to ensure our country sustainable development and ensure a better future.
              That is, a voluntary contribution with a succinct history of the evolution of our fishery: his misfortunes, his infringements in dangerous slip causing much uncertainty and concrete proposals for this sector out of traps.
             This benefit may seem harsh to some, for others of pleasant but the intention is not to measure the state of souls of each other but to raise the awareness level of all Mauritanian on importance of this particular sector and a cornerstone of our national economy for a harmonious and sustainable development.

And, consequently, the content of this essay is dedicated to decision makers to help them raise an alert to save what remains of our most important asset. Unfortunately, the development of our economy is still bad start, as was said, "Raymond Barre of the African economy in the early years of independence," and now the observation of the state of things gives only fairly thin ray of hope.
18/12/2011
Brahim Ould Boïdaha, consultant:
 contacts = 22031512/47414673 = enamel: [email protected]