Mauritania publishes newly structured FiTI Report, enhancing understanding of fisheries transparency

FiTI Report Mauritania

Mauritania publishes newly structured FiTI Report, enhancing understanding of fisheries transparency

By Mansor Ndour

Mauritania continues to demonstrate strong leadership in fisheries transparency with the publication of its sixth FiTI Report. Recognised as a FiTI Compliant country, Mauritania has established systems and institutional arrangements that facilitate public access to fisheries information in line with the FiTI Standard. This latest report – jointly published by Mauritania’s National Multi-Stakeholder Group (MSG) and the FiTI International Secretariat – highlights the country’s continued progress in improving the accessibility, credibility and usefulness of publicly available fisheries information.

This sixth reporting cycle included a change in the reporting process; instead of generating an all-encompassing FiTI Report in two documents (previously the Summary Section and Detailed Section), the process now results in a dedicated FiTI Report that focuses on the transparency assessment conducted by the FiTI International Secretariat and the recommendations formulated by the National MSG. A complementary Fisheries Information Report then provides broader information on the fisheries sector.

Mansor Ndour, FiTI’s Regional Coordinator for Francophone Africa, explained that combining transparency assessment results, fisheries information and recommendations into a single document can make it difficult for stakeholders to easily navigate the information. Separating these publications allows different audiences to access the information most relevant to them. This also further emphasises the role of the National MSG and its recommendations, giving them greater prominence than past reports.

This FiTI Report – which assesses transparency of fisheries information for calendar year 2024 – focuses specifically on information published online by national authorities, as well as additional data made available through the Mauritania FiTI National MSG website.

Fisheries information is now disseminated through several institutional websites, including those of the Ministry of Fisheries, Maritime and Port Infrastructure (MPIMP), the Mauritanian Institute for Oceanographic Research and Fisheries (IMROP), and the National Agency for Statistics and Demographic and Economic Analysis (ANSADE). The nation has also begun development of a national fisheries information system to improve the collection, harmonisation, dissemination, and public accessibility of fisheries data.

Now a wide range of fisheries information is publicly accessible online, including fisheries laws and policies, fishing agreements with foreign partners, registers of industrial fishing vessels, statistics on catches and fishing licences, and information on payments made by vessels operating in Mauritania’s Exclusive Economic Zone.

However, several challenges remain, and certain information is still unavailable, limited or not yet publicly disclosed. For example:

  • Catches and landings are often reported by groups of species rather than by individual species, limiting detailed analysis of fisheries trends. Similarly, information on fish transhipments and exports is available in aggregated form but not always disaggregated by species groups.
  • Overall employment figures are available, but the information on the distribution of jobs by employment type, gender or wages within the fisheries sector is limited.
  • Some discrepancies exist between national statistical sources, often due to differences in reporting periods or methodological approaches used by different institutions.

To address these issues, the Mauritania National MSG has issued 15 new recommendations aimed at improving the availability, clarity and quality of fisheries information.

Mauritania’s latest FiTI Report demonstrates the nation’s continued commitment to strengthening transparency in fisheries governance, information systems and institutional coordination. By expanding public access to fisheries information and openly identifying remaining gaps, Mauritania continues to reinforce transparency as a key foundation for sustainable and accountable fisheries management.

Both the Annual FiTI Report and the Fishery Information Report can be found on the Mauritania National Multi-Stakeholder Group (MSG) website.

This report was approved by the Mauritania National Multi-Stakeholder Group (MSG) prior to the end of 2025.