FISHERIES SECTOR IN

MOROCCO

WTO, Geneva, 11 june 2018

 over 3,500 km of coastline in Atlantic and
Mediterranean
 significant biodiversity and abundant fish resource
thanks to the upwelling current
 fish resources are mainly pelagic
 Morocco is ranked among the 20 world fish
producers
• The fishing fleet is split into 3 main categories :
• Artisanal fishery
• Small scale fishery known locally as costal fishery
• Industrial fishery

These fleet generally operates for multispecies fisheries

Artisanal and small-scale fishing vessels account for 98% of

the fleet, generate 94% of national production and employ
93% of sea workers
The artisanal and small-scale fishing vessels: - are :
• of a small tonnage,
• practice fresh fishing,
• make daily fishing trips,
• are traditionally managed by a system of shares

These are very fragile and vulnerable segments

The fisheries sector creates more than 170,000 direct jobs,
occupies a prominent place in the country's economy, and
contributes significantly to food security
Given the socio-economic importance of the sector, Morocco
has put sustainability as the first pillar of its national strategy
for the management of the sector

Morocco is strongly committed to the fight against overfishing

and IUU fishing activities.
Significant investments have been made to implement this
strategy, particularly in stock assessment and monitoring and
control system.

Fishing villages have been built to improve the working conditions

of artisanal fishermen and, above all, to control and monitor
fishing activity.
The management of the resources is mainly based on the results
of scientific assessments.

Direct and indirect assessments are based on:

• sampling networks of catch landings
• results of assessment surveys by national research vessels
(biomass index, abundance index, etc…)
• Some assessments are carried out within the framework of
international and bilateral cooperation.
• Indirect assessment is based upon global and analytic
modeling
The objectives of the management are set according to target
reference points and the maximum sustainable yield
The Target components of the statistical Data Collection System are:

• Data from the fishing fleet

• Data from research vessels
• Biological sampling data (landing sites and ports)
• Socio-economic surveys
• Oceanographic and Environmental Data
• VMS data
• Specifications of the fishing fleet
• Catch statistics
Most of the fisheries in Morocco are managed under species
oriented Management plans

These plans are based on adaptive management schemes according

to changes in the state of resource
the management is implemented through such mechanisms :

• fishing licenses, number and type of vessels,

• authorized and prohibited gears, catch sizes, authorized level of

by-catch, areas and closure period.

• A TAC quota system is applied for some fisheries.

The management effort is accompanied by a comprehensive
surveillance and monitoring system:

VMS, chip boat identification system, catch reporting, electronic

catch traceability, INN law ....
Besides conventional management measures, ultimate exit from
specific fisheries may be implemented

Fees may be granted by the government to vessels who quit the

fishery

Exiting the fishery is operated either to recover a stock in

extreme stress or to abandon the use of gears that are deemed
destructive.
THANK YOU