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With a view to the strategic management of Gabon's fishery resources , the National Fishing and Aquaculture Authority, which is in the process of being set up, will implement the Government's policy on sustainable management of fishing and aquaculture

4.26. Fishing and fish-farming are still regulated by the Code adopted in 2005. The Code incorporates the objective of sustainable management of the resources concerned. To fish it is necessary to obtain a licence, costing US$800 for foreign-registered vessels. In addition, enterprises that handle fisheries products must obtain technical approval from the Directorate General of Fisheries.

 The various marine resource surveys carried out show a decrease in resources in the area north of Cape Lopez and underexploitation in the area south of Cape Lopez because of the fishing ban in the oil exclusion zone and in the marine park of Mayumba. Fishing south of Cape Lopez is governed by strict regulations banning fishing in protected areas.

4.29. Deep-sea fishing, involving the exploitation of tuna resources, is practised in the EEZ under bilateral agreements with the European Union and Japan. The last fisheries partnership agreement concluded between Gabon and the EU covered the period from 3 December 2005 to 2 December 2011. It allowed 24 freezer tuna seiners and 16 surface longliners to fish in Gabonese waters, subject to a fishing licence issued by the authorities against payment. The financial contribution was EUR 860,000 a year, of which EUR 715,000 was earmarked for the Gabonese State budget and EUR 145,000 went to support fisheries policy in Gabon. This payment was for annual catches of no more than 11,000 tonnes. If that figure was exceeded, the financial contribution increased by EUR 65 per tonne. Following a decision by the authorities to define more environmentally friendly bases of negotiation in the framework of the "Blue Gabon" strategy, no agreement was signed in 2012. A new agreement is being negotiated, and it is expected to be signed in 2013.

4.33. In a bid to ensure the sustainable use of resources, Gabon has banned fishing in river mouths and marine parks. In addition, the use of certain types of fishing gear which are not very selective is prohibited. Fishing for prawn and bonga shad (ethmalosa fimbriata) is suspended for three months of each year.

The Gabonese Government decided to implement, as of 1 January 2010, an export ban on logs. This decision made it urgently necessary to redefine the industry's strategy. In general terms, this reorientation applies to all the wood industries of tropical forests, given climate change and the need to protect theseforests. The question involves reconciling two different, but related, issues: i) protection of tropical forests ' function as carbon sinks; and ii) the right of a country and of its people to exploit their forest;  resources and, more specifically, to exploit and export tropical wood to international wood and construction material markets.

Reconciliation is possible only if the exploitation of Gabon's forest heritage is optimally organized, in compliance with the principles of sustainable and effective management, to combat massive deforestation practices, forest  degradation and illegal trade in wood, wildlife, and other non-timber forest  products (NTFPs).

The overall objective which Gabon seeks to meet by 2016 through the Ministry of Water and forests is to increase the sector's contribution to GDP by means of sustainable management of forests and aquatic ecosystems; more intensive industrialization of the wood subsector conservation and promotion of biodiversity; sectoral capacity building; and research/development training.

The intent underlying this objective is "to make Gabon a world leader in certified tropical wood, driven by an industry which fully develops the resource and exploits a sustainably managed forest  that fully plays its role as a carbon sink and a sanctuary of biodiversity in the service of humanity".

The implementation of this vision is based on better governance of the forest  and requires the reorganization of forest  exploitation. The wood -processing subsectors need a thorough overhaul through industrial centres that will put mutualized infrastructure and services within the reach of the operators involved. Lastly, improved control of the cost of logistical services (particularly transport and port fees) is essential.