The Atlantis vessel in the Great African Expedition began 2025 with a visit to Mauritania

 

The next day, the vessel's scientific team went to the Mauritanian Institute of Oceanographic Research and Fisheries (IMROP). In the port, the specialists of the Atlantic branch of the Russian State Research Center "All-Russian Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography" (VNIRO) were met by the head of the Representative Office of the Federal Agency for Fisheries in Mauritania, Viktor Popov. Then, a meeting of experts from the Atlantic branch of VNIRO and IMROP was held to clarify the details of the joint research program in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of Mauritania. The Russian delegation was headed by the head of the STM Atlantis expedition, Grigory Maslyankin. The Mauritanian delegation was led by the Director General of IMROP, Mohamed El Hafed Ejiven.

 

The parties discussed the objectives of the research work, areas and stages of work.

 

As a result, a program of joint research in the Mauritanian EEZ was agreed upon and approved during the discussion.

 

The scientific group of the STM "Atlantis" was given a tour of the hydrological, hydrobiological and ichthyological laboratories of the IMROP, and was also shown the archive, the department for statistical processing of materials and the museum of the institute.

 

On the same day, four Mauritanian specialists arrived on board the STM "Atlantis" - an acoustician, a database specialist and geostatistician, a database specialist and hydrochemist, a biologist and ichthyoplanktonologist.

 

For reference:

 

The first intergovernmental Agreement between our countries on cooperation in the field of fisheries was signed in 1973. This document provided for the creation of a research center in Nouadhibou.

 

Currently, the Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania on cooperation in the field of marine fisheries and fisheries dated May 12, 2003 is in force. In accordance with the said agreement, the Parties shall pay special attention to scientific research and assessment of the state of living marine resources of the zone. For these purposes, the Russian side shall assist in expert assessment of the state of living marine resources and operation of a Russian research vessel jointly with the Mauritanian side.

 

The last trawl-acoustic survey to assess stocks of small pelagic fish in the Mauritanian EEZ took place in 2012. In January of this year, similar scientific research work is planned to be carried out on the STM "Atlantis".

 

Press Service of VNIRO