Rabat – The landings of coastal and artisanal fishing products increased by 20% during the first seven months of 2022.
New data from the National Fisheries Office indicate that the landings reached 719,925 tonnes in the first half of the current year. The landings are worth a value exceeding MAD 5.4 billion ($511.69 million), representing an increase of 7% compared to the same period in 2021.
Landings of coastal and artisanal fishing products increased by 20% to 719,925 tonnes (T) during the first seven months of 2022, according to the National Fisheries Office (ONP).
Landings of crustaceans and pelagic fish showed respective increases of 28% (4,359 tonnes) and 26% (625,419 tonnes), whereas landings of shellfish, seaweed, and cephalopods decreased respectively by 55%, 53 %, and 7%, according to the new data.
Regarding the performance of fishing ports, a total of 11,642 tonnes of coastal and artisanal fishing products were landed in Mediterranean port entries at the end of July 2022, indicating a 9% decrease compared to the same period a year earlier.
In terms of value, the fishing ports recorded a decline of 8% to MAD 406.19 million ($38.48 million).
Meanwhile, landings at the ports located on the Atlantic coast increased in weight by 20%, reaching 708,283 tonnes, and in value by 8%, reaching over MAD 5 billion ($473.78 million).
A leading country when it comes to fish production, Morocco ranked 13th worldwide and first in Africa in 2018, with 1.4 million tonnes of fish landings.
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said in a report that fishing in Morocco is “based on nearly 65 species of fish, cephalopods, and crustaceans.”
Being a leader in terms of production, Morocco’s fish imports are limited to “very luxurious products,” said the FAO report, listing sparids, cephalopods, other groundfish, as well as shrimp and sardine among the species most associated with fishing in Morocco.
The country’s fisheries exports have been “steadily expanding” in recent years, said the National Fisheries Office, noting that Moroccan exports of fishing products totaled 570,000 tonnes in the first nine months of 2020, reaching a value of $1.66 billion.
