The fishing industry in

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria t ...

is a leading foreign exchange earner, accounting for 2,84% of total exports. For a long time the industry has been an economic pillar for the country. The kingdom is considered the largest fish market in Africa, with an estimated total catch of 1,084,638 MT in 2001.

Fisheries sector

The fisheries sector accounts for 3% of Morocco's GDP. The government estimates the number of direct and indirect jobs at 400,000 (including 104,000 fishermen). The small-scale fisheries sector (100,000 people) lags far behind other branches of the fishing industry owing to the lack of infrastructure and of harbour facilities and plant. The fishing grounds in the

Canary Current The Canary Current is a wind-driven surface current that is part of the North Atlantic Gyre. This eastern boundary current branches south from the North Atlantic Current and flows southwest about as far as Senegal where it turns west and later j ...

off Morocco's west coast are exceptionally rich in

sardine "Sardine" and "pilchard" are common names for various species of small, oily forage fish in the herring family Clupeidae. The term "sardine" was first used in English during the early 15th century, a folk etymology says it comes from the It ...

s, bonito, and

tuna A tuna is a saltwater fish that belongs to the tribe Thunnini, a subgrouping of the Scombridae ( mackerel) family. The Thunnini comprise 15 species across five genera, the sizes of which vary greatly, ranging from the bullet tuna (max len ...

, but the country lacks the modern fleets and processing facilities to benefit fully from these marine resources. An important part of a major trade agreement Morocco concluded with the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...

in 1996 concerned fishing rights, by which the EU pays Morocco an annual fee to allow vessels (mainly Spanish) to fish Moroccan waters. A new four-year fishery agreement with the

will allow European vessels, mostly from

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

, to operate in Moroccan and Western Saharan waters in exchange for an economic compensation programme, which the National Fishery Office of Morocco intends to use to boost modernisation of its domestic fishery sector.

Reform

Morocco's wide-reaching agricultural reform drive has been extended to the fishing industry. At the end of September 2009, the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Maritime Fishing unveiled Plan Halieutis. Which aims to increase exports from DH8.3bn (€729m) in 2007 to DH21.9bn (€1.9bn) by 2020. In the same time period, the sector's contribution to GDP is expected to rise from DH16.2bn to DH23.9bn (€2bn). Direct jobs in the fishing industry, a key employer, are also anticipated to nearly double, rising from 61,650 to 115,000.

Disputes

There have been constant disputes with Spain over fishing rights since 1973 when Morocco declared an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), resulting in a coastal fishing limit. This was extended to 200 nautical miles (370 km) in 1981. In February 2012 it was reported that the Spanish Prime Minister was urging Morocco to negotiate an agreement about these differences."الأوروبيون يحصدون أسماك المغرب بأبخس الأثمان"'
"Europeans to Harvest Cheap Moroccan Fish"
Western Sahara is not internationally recognised as part of Morocco, and Moroccan fisheries in the territory are considered in violation of international law.

External links

www.fishelsewhere.eu
Coalition of NGOs and politicians from 22 EU countries which call on the EU to respect international law, and immediately halt all fishing in the waters of occupied Western Sahara.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fishing Industry In Morocco Economy of Morocco

Water in Morocco