Dear buyers, dear partners,
my name is Dr. El Varah Doua, and I am the Chairman and CEO of PROFUNDOR SARL. I am writing to you personally, because I want you to hear it from me: the Mauritanian seafood market is open to you, and we will help you enter it with confidence.
Our coast is one of the richest fishing grounds of the Atlantic. Cold, nutrient-rich water rises along our shore, and with it comes the octopus, the white fish and the small pelagics that buyers from Spain to Japan know well. In 2025, Mauritanian seafood exports handled by the SMCP reached a record of 342,624 tonnes worth 801 million US dollars.
So let me say it simply to every importer, wholesaler and processor who reads this letter: you are welcome here. Whether you buy your first container or your hundredth, whether you come from Europe, Asia, the Gulf or Africa, the Mauritanian market is open to you.
An open market with clear rules
Many buyers expect a market like ours to be hard to enter. I understand that concern – but in practice, the path is well defined.
Frozen seafood is sold through the SMCP, the national marketing company, founded in 1984. It publishes reference prices for each product and grade, runs the sale and signs the contract with the buyer. Payment is made by a confirmed letter of credit through a Mauritanian bank. Since 2025, fresh and live products are also cleared through the SMCP.
The goods themselves come from processing plants that are inspected by ONISPA, the national food-safety authority. Plants that export to Europe are listed by the European Union, and every shipment to the EU travels with a catch certificate.
For a buyer this means: you know who sets the price, who signs the contract, who receives the payment and who controls the quality. The rules are written down, and they are the same for everyone.
Transparency is our standard
In the seafood trade, trust is everything. A buyer often pays long before the container is opened in their own port. That is why transparency is not a slogan for me – it is the foundation of every good business relationship. In my experience, it rests on a few simple principles:
- Clear agreements in writing – product, grade, packing, price, delivery date and payment terms are set down before anything is produced, so that both sides mean exactly the same thing.
- Honest information, even when it is unwelcome – if a product is not available, a closure is extended or a shipment is delayed, the buyer hears it early and directly.
- Proof instead of promises – photos, inspection reports and official documents show what was produced, packed and loaded.
- Traceability – every lot can be traced back to the plant that processed it and to the catch it came from.
- No hidden costs – every fee and every service is named before the deal, not afterwards.
- Discretion – what a buyer shares with us about prices, customers and volumes stays with us.
Trust grows slowly and is lost quickly. We intend to earn it with every single shipment.
Protecting the sea we depend on
Our wealth comes from the sea, and I am proud that Mauritania takes its protection seriously.
For the Mauritanian government, protecting our fish stocks is a clear priority. It does everything it can to preserve the resource: it sets the biological closures every year on the advice of its scientists, extends them when the stock needs more time, and expects every fisherman, every plant and every exporter to respect them. The biological rest is not a formality here – it is a national commitment, and we at PROFUNDOR SARL stand fully behind it.
Octopus, our most valuable product, is under pressure. Scientists at IMROP, the national oceanographic institute, follow the stock closely, and the authorities set a total allowable catch each year. Twice a year, fishing for octopus, cuttlefish and squid stops completely during the biological closures, so that the animals can grow and reproduce. Most octopus is caught by artisanal fishers with pots – one octopus per pot, landed alive and frozen within hours.
I will not pretend that the challenge of overfishing is solved. It is not, anywhere in the world. But the direction here is clear: decisions are based on science, closures are respected, and the rules are tightened when the stock needs it. For buyers who must answer to their own customers about sustainability, this matters.
My personal invitation
Mauritania offers what serious buyers look for: excellent wild seafood, a regulated and transparent export system, and a country that protects the resource it lives from.
PROFUNDOR SARL is here to make your first steps easy – from choosing the right plant to checking your goods before they leave the port. Come and see for yourself. Visit us in Nouadhibou or Nouakchott, meet the plants, walk through the cold stores – I will be glad to welcome you personally.
With my best regards,
Dr. El Varah DouaChairman & CEO, PROFUNDOR SARL 
