Gabon ends EU tuna partnership

Gabon terminated its 19-year EU fisheries agreement, risking local food security as it cuts access to tuna resources

Gabon terminated its 19-year Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement (SFPA) with the EU on June 29, 2026. The agreement—established in 2007 and implemented through three protocols—allowed up to 27 EU purse seiners, 6 pole-and-line vessels, and 4 exploratory trawlers in Gabonese waters under its latest protocol (2021–2026). An EU Commission evaluation (2021–2024) found the EU paid Gabon €2.6 million annually for access to 32,000 tons of tuna, with Gabon capturing 23% of the economic value generated. The EU stated it remains ready to negotiate a new agreement since October 2025.

This move risks Gabon’s food security because the SFPA was Gabon’s primary access to tuna resources. The EU Commission identified Gabon’s port infrastructure as inadequate for processing EU catches—a barrier Sea Shepherd noted favors European operators over local processors. Gabon’s government claimed the agreement no longer served economic interests by June 2025, but the ministry did not respond to Mongabay’s request for comment by the publication date. The SFPA was designed as fisheries access, not economic development, meaning Gabon’s food security now depends on domestic capacity or new negotiations to replace the terminated agreement.

Source: Mongabay