Rabat – By the end of June 2024, fish landings at the port of Tan-Tan experienced a staggering 48% drop, the National Office of Fisheries (ONP) reported this week.
The ONP’s latest report on Morocco’s coastal and artisanal fishing industry shows that landings in the first half of 2024 plummeted to 14,890 tonnes, a dramatic decrease from the 28,567 tonnes reported in the same period of 2023.
The report also indicates a 24% decline in the financial value of these landings, which fell to MAD 307.67 million ($31.4 million) by the end of June 2024, down from MAD 404.27 million ($41.3 million) a year earlier.
The quantity of pelagic fish landed at Tan-Tan’s port fell sharply by 63% in the first half of the year, amounting to just 7,351 tonnes.
At the same time, the financial value of these landings dropped by 57% to MAD 39.89 million ($4.7 million), down from MAD 92.37 million ($9.4 million) for 20,132 tonnes during the same period in 2023.
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Whitefish landings at the port also saw a 14% decrease, totaling 5,136 tonnes valued at MAD 106.87 million ($11 million) by the end of June, compared to the previous year.
Mollusk landings experienced a 4% decline, amounting to 2,282 tonnes with a financial value of MAD 155.75 million ($15.9 million), reflecting a 15% decrease.
In contrast, crustacean landings rose by 26%, reaching 121 tonnes with a value of MAD 5.16 million ($527 million).
Nationwide, coastal and artisanal fish landings totaled 469,715 tonnes by the end of June 2024, reflecting a 10% decrease from the previous year. In financial terms, this equates to a 4% decline, amounting to over MAD 4.8 billion ($490 billion).
Fish landings at the port of Laayoune totaled 53,024 tonnes by the end of May 2024, having also seen a 46% decline compared to the same period last year.
The market value of these catches also fell by 17%, amounting to over MAD 671.69 million ($68.7 million), down from over MAD 808.49 million ($82.6 million) at the end of May 2023.
This year, coastal and artisanal fishing products have experienced a 1% decrease in value, totaling MAD 4.37 billion ($447 billion) over the first five months of 2024.
The ONP reported that the weight of these products reached 392,692 tonnes, marking a 7% decline compared to the end of May 2023.
By species, landings of shellfish, seaweed, crustaceans, and pelagic fish saw declines of 77% to 21 tonnes, 39% to 4,974 tonnes, 26% to 3,306 tonnes, and 9% to 312,920 tonnes, respectively.
