The fishing sector in Morocco has undergone a major transformation over recent decades, aligning with sustainability and greening principles. This evolution is part of the promotion of the blue economy, which aims to sustainably exploit marine resources while preserving the environment.
Under the impetus of the Halieutis strategy, launched by King Mohammed VI in 2009, Morocco has undertaken a profound transformation of its fishing sector, aiming to balance economic exploitation with the preservation of marine resources.
This approach is part of the broader effort to promote the blue economy, a concept aimed at sustainably utilizing marine resources while stimulating economic growth. It addresses the challenges of overfishing and marine ecosystem degradation, with objectives to triple the fishing sector’s contribution to national GDP, double the jobs in the industry, and ensure sustainable management of fishery resources. The Halieutis 2009-2020 strategy and its second version have particularly focused on sustainability issues.
The sector has undergone a major transformation in recent decades. The 2020-2030 plan, in particular, has paved the way for new strategic directions, including the development of a national blue economy already recommended by the New Development Model.
In this regard, Morocco has received a $350 million loan from the World Bank to support the launch of the Moroccan government’s Blue Economy program, aimed at stimulating economic growth while improving the sustainability and resilience of natural resources and food security.
Sustainability
Today, 96% of catches are managed through management plans, compared to 95% set in 2020, whereas the figure was barely 5% at the start of the strategy. As a result, management plans for the most important fisheries have been established to preserve national fishery resources.
Currently, more than 30 management plans cover the most important national fisheries in terms of catch, ranging from small pelagics, which constitute nearly 80% of resources, to species of high economic value such as octopus and large pelagics (tuna and swordfish), as well as coastal resources (seaweeds and various shellfish).
This coverage has been achieved through strengthened scientific research, notably by the INRH, which establishes stock assessments and regularly monitors their evolution in response to fishing pressure and environmental dynamics to improve the status of managed stocks.
At the same time, priority has been given to implementing biological rest periods and control through the installation of the « VMS » (vessel monitoring system), which has helped combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, in addition to the use of standardized plastic crates that have eliminated bulk fishing, as well as control of traceability (certification of catches) and the establishment of a national plan for monitoring maritime fishing activities, particularly for stock C.
Aquaculture: The Future of Fishing
Beyond performance and sustainability, the aquaculture sector, which has completed over a decade of development since the creation of ANDA in February 2011, has benefited from a new regulatory and legal framework, namely Dahir No. 1-22-81 of December 13, 2022, promulgating Law No. 84-21 on marine aquaculture. Published in Official Bulletin No. 7159 on January 9, 2023, this text defines the modalities and management rules for marine aquaculture and its development.
Currently, ANDA aims to implement a strategic development plan by 2030, with the details of its implementation levers. The launch of this plan occurs in a context where the performance of the aquaculture sector shows continuous growth in terms of installed farm projects, with 173 farms targeting a future production exceeding 99,400 tons/year. In addition, 61 other projects are in the process of acquiring equipment, aiming for an annual target production of approximately 24,800 tons.
ANDA has implemented several priority areas to create a conducive environment for the development of the aquaculture sector in Morocco. In this perspective, the preliminary orientations of the new sector strategy position ANDA as the main actor in scaling up and sustaining the activity, requiring a doubly intensive intervention pace.
Tax Incentives
Regarding tax incentives for investment, the Finance Laws of 2018 and 2024 have introduced measures to enhance the sector’s attractiveness. These include VAT exemption on key aquaculture inputs, such as fry, fingerlings, and feed, in addition to extending the measure reducing customs duties on feed to 2.5% (from 25% previously) for a period of 6 years.
In accordance with Article 5 bis of Finance Law No. 55-23 for the 2024 fiscal year, fish feed under tariff position No. 2309.90.90.82 is subject, by way of exception, to annual quotas of 15,000 tons for importation at a 2.5% customs duty from January 1, 2024, to December 31, 2026. The interest of these measures is economic as they impact the profitability of aquaculture projects and improve the competitiveness of national operators, ultimately creating a favorable investment climate.
According to ANDA, the emergence of the aquaculture sector in Morocco has led to new investments throughout the value chains. In numbers, there will be 70 aquaculture vessels in 2024 compared to just one in 2012. The same trend is observed for processing units, with the number reaching 22 units by 2025, while the number of hatcheries in 2026 is expected to be 7. Additionally, the size of the aquaculture market is projected to increase from $290 billion in 2022 to $421 billion in 2030. As a result, 66% of seafood products will come from aquaculture.
Source: Les inspirations éco
