MOROCCO – The National Fisheries Office (ONP) data on artisanal and coastal fishing reveals a noticeable dip in both the monetary value and the volume of these fishing activities.
Specifically, the total value of marketed products has decreased by 4%.
Meanwhile, the weight of landings has significantly fallen by 10%, with a total of 469,715 tons recorded.
Key species have shown dramatic declines.
Shellfish, for instance, experienced a staggering 82% reduction, with only 24 tons landed.
Other categories also saw decreases: seaweed plummeted by 39% to 5,914 tons, crustaceans dropped by 25% to 3,863 tons, and pelagic fish fell by 12% to 378,849 tons.
Despite these declines, some species have defied the downward trend.
Landings of white fish increased by 6% to 48,925 tons, and cephalopods saw a 5% rise to 32,141 tons.
Geographically, the Mediterranean ports have been hit hardest, with landings falling by 20% to 7,222 tons.
The Atlantic ports, although somewhat better off, still faced a 10% decrease in tonnage to 462,493 tons and a 4% drop in value to 4.46 billion dirhams.
Earlier this year, in March 2024, the ONP had reported a contrasting scenario: despite a reduction in the volume of landings, the value of coastal and artisanal fishing products had risen by 2%.
At that time, the weight of these products stood at 181,280 tons, a 14% decline from 2023.
Artisanal fishing in Morocco, predominantly carried out using traditional wooden canoes with outboard engines, remains crucial to the local economy.
The Mediterranean coast, extending from Tanger and Tetouan to Al Hoceima and Nador, hosts 94 sites and 5 ports, providing employment for around 7,800 seafarers across 2,600 boats.
This sector is vital for regional socio-economic stability, bridging maritime exchanges with the Atlantic Ocean through the Strait of Gibraltar and local features like the Marchica lagoon.
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