Morocco Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch said the country hass committed to expanding the country’s marine protected areas and doubling the resources the country currently expends annually in its fight against illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
Akhannouch told the One Ocean Summit 2022 participants in Brest, France, that efforts by North Africa country’s national leadership to ensure sustainable fishery management has enable Morocco to achieve “enormous development,” the Morocco World News reported. A World Bank report found the country’s fishing and fish processing activities have provided 700,000 jobs, though many are informal.
Akhannouch reported Morocco is grappling with challenges related to reproduction and recovery of fisheries resources in the Mediterranean, and urged participants at the One Ocean Summit to push for enhanced marine sustainability measures.
Currently only 0.68 percent, or 1,866 square kilometers, of Morocco’s coastline is covered by marine protected areas. The country’s total marine and coastal area spans approximately 276,136 square kilometers. Morocco’s announcement it hopes to expand its MPA coverage has attracted support from MedFund, a Monaco-based nonprofit organization providing sustainable funding for marine biodiversity conservation. In October 2020, it provided funding to assist the assessment process, and has contributed funds toward more-effective management of marine protected areas in the Mediterranean, France, Monaco, and Tunisia.
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https://www.seafoodsource.com/news/environment-sustainability/morocco-to-expand-mpas-fight-illegal-fishing