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In the last week of July, the eu has signed its biggest fisheries deal with an African country, Mauritania, whose coastal waters are among the richest fishing areas in the world. The accord will allow at least 200 European vessels to fish for shrimps, hake, tuna and other species in Mauritanian waters for six years. For the Mauritanian government, the deal is worth us $661 million. In addition, licence fees from European fishermen could add another us $28 million a year (almost one-third of its national income) to its coffers. Besides, the eu has assured that a great part of the cash will be devoted to sustainable fisheries in the country. But conservationists are sceptical. They fear the accord is based on incomplete knowledge of fish stocks and could lead to the elimination of endangered species.