A recent report by the scientific journal “Nature” reveals that Morocco received about 1.56 billion euros over 45 years from fishing agreements with the European Union. This amounts to 32% of the total 4.8 billion euros paid by Brussels to countries outside the Union in exchange for allowing their fleets to fish in Moroccan waters.
In the most recent European protocol (2019–2023), the amount was around 208 million euros over four years, which is approximately 52 million euros annually.
In addition to its relations with the European Union, Morocco has signed a new fishing agreement with Russia, lasting four years, which allows the Russian fleet to catch large quantities of fish in Moroccan waters.
The previous agreement, which ends at the end of 2024, obligated Russia to pay about 6 million euros annually for the granted rights, in addition to fees calculated as a percentage of the actual catch value. It is expected that these quotas will expand in the new agreement, allowing the amount of fish available for fishing to reach between 80,000 and 100,000 tons annually, with negotiations ongoing regarding the precise financial details.
The study in Nature indicates that Morocco and Mauritania received most of the funds paid by the European Union for fishing contracts outside the Union over 45 years. Meanwhile, European fishing fleets face restrictions on their quotas and demand clarification on how this money is used, considering that these funds have supported “fleets outside the Union” that compete directly with them.
Conversely, despite this significant funding, the average Moroccan citizen often faces high fish prices in local markets. This raises legitimate questions about how they benefit from their country’s marine wealth and how this money reflects on improving the local marine sector and supporting Moroccan fishermen.
Follow Tanger7 on GOOGLE NEWS and Facebook. Also on Instagram. In addition to X and Nabd application.
