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Fishery management in the Channel of Sicily 417

difficult for the EU to stipulate bilateral fishing agreements that would allow its fleets to have
access to surplus stock present in the waters of other countries. Thus, in order to deal with the
immediate situation, the Commission, within the CFP reforms, has proposed a strategy based
on the evaluation of stock which Community fishermen have access to outside EU waters on
one hand, and on the other hand, on the creation of a whole framework which could help the
creation of partnerships with developing countries. These new partnerships aim to promote
dialogue with the countries in question, to help them create a policy which enables them grad-
ually to practice sustainable fishing in their waters, contributing at the same time to achieving
their aims of development. These agreements aim to create joint ventures for the development
of fishing in other countries and guarantee a quota of certain species mentioned in the agree-
ment. In conclusion, it may be said that stabilizing international legal relations and creating
effective cooperation are essential elements in the future of community high sea fishing [8].

2.4 Italian–Tunisian relations

The contentious issues surrounding fishing in the waters around the coast of North Africa,
especially those of Tunisia, are an old problem but still very much present today, caused
by the need for Sicilian fisheries, particularly those of Mazara, to extend their fishing areas
into ever deeper bathymetric zones (600–1000 m). This requirement springs from the need to
compensate for the limited resources available in the Sicilian coastal area along the traditional
bathymetry of 50–400 m [9]. The shift of the fleet towards the African coast has obviously led to
changes in fishing techniques for the fisheries (especially for catching red shrimp), investments
in larger boats, and greater business management, requiring more crew members, higher
maintenance costs for boat and parts repair, and more advanced technology for navigation
and fish storage. The invasion of Sicilian fishing boats close to Tunisian territorial waters
caused the phenomenon of Sicilian boat confiscation in the Sicilian channel during the 1970s
and 1980s [10].

The most contested area has always been the area of high seas south-west of Lampedusa,
known as the ‘Mammellone’, which the Italian government declared an area of fish repopula-
tion but for which Tunisia has claimed national responsibility for years. The issue which has
damaged Italian–Tunisian relations for over 20 yr was resolved at the beginning of the 1990s
with the creation of the first Italian–Tunisian joint ventures.

In 1992, the first joint venture was set up between a Mazara and a Tunisian company, which
was followed by the setting up of six joint ventures in 2000, between five shipping companies
from Mazara del Vallo and one from Marsala, and a similar number of Arab companies,
working on cooperation projects set up between Federpesca and UTAP (Tunisian Union of
Agriculture and Fisheries), receiving aid from FIFG through MOP Sicily 1994–1999 [11].

Any new progress begun by the Italian–Tunisian joint fishing ventures, however, is slow to
take off, partly due to Tunisian refusal to accept obsolete Mazara vessels.

Over recent years, 17 Italian–Tunisian joint fishing and fish farming ventures have been set
up, notably under the Governorship of Bizerte. In the industrial sector, there are numerous
companies which deal with processing, freezing and deep-freezing of fish products. Among
these are seven companies based entirely on Italian investment.

3. Structure of Mediterranean fishing

Fishing in the Mediterranean basin represents an activity of great economic, social, and
biological value, whose characteristics have not always been fully appreciated. Yet, fishing is