Morocco fishes for better benefits from Europe

This is in addition to the official recognition of the Kingdom's sovereignty over its exclusive economic zone in the south of the country, which extends 250 nautical miles wide, in accordance with the 1982 International Law of the Sea.

Morocco doesn't seem in a hurry to sign a new fishing protocol. It waits to see what the next government in Madrid will offer, particularly in terms of cooperation with Rabat on the strategic issues agreed upon with the socialist government of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.

Morocco cites citizens' dissatisfaction with the terms of the previous deal, which was deemed unfair and considered to have caused damage to fisheries that had previously been rich in fish.

No substitute for a new deal

Luis Planas, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, said that the renewal of the fisheries deal "is vital to the Spanish economy; it's a matter of high interest to Spain, which is the closest European country to Africa... It has the region's oldest fishing industry."

He added that "any failure in negotiations between the European Union and Morocco would have serious economic consequences for Spain."

Those affected by the expiry of the deal await their names to be published in the Spanish Official Gazette, as they will benefit from the compensation set by the government at €302,000 per vessel, including €120,000 for the owner of the ship and €182,000 euros for crew members.

The European Union's budget contributes 50% of the costs through the Fondo Europeo Marítimo Y De Pesca (FEMP).

No one can predict when a new deal will be signed and how long the process will take, which heightens the concerns of Andalusian fishermen, who enjoy the most presence in Moroccan fisheries.

Fishermen's associations are also pressing the Spanish government to urge Europeans to renew the deal with Rabat. Trade unions are expected to respond to the crisis in the south of Spain, where 5,000 families live off fishing in Moroccan waters and are directly affected by the delay in renewing the agreement.

"A permanent fishing deal between Morocco and the European Union is of historical importance to Spain, as it dates back to the 1950s," said the Confederación Española de Pesca (CEPESCA).

"Since Spain joined the European Union in 1986, the protocol has been signed by the European Economic Community, while any docking of the Spanish fleet active in Morocco has a negative impact on companies and sailors in the provinces of Andalusia, Galicia and the Canary Islands."

CEPESCA estimated the losses at about €4mn per month.

European optimism

Earlier this month, the European Union expressed its desire to renew the deal with Morocco after a meeting of the Joint Committee on Fisheries in Brussels, calling it a comprehensive and mutually beneficial partnership.

Perhaps a step towards persuading its more hesitant members to accept Morocco's new terms.

However, there is a divide in European interests between Mediterranean and Scandinavian states on the issue of fishing outside EU waters, which is supported by about 20 out of 27 countries.

Meanwhile, Nordic countries, which have smaller interests in the Mediterranean, prefer to wait for the European Court of Justice's decision on whether domestic peoples benefit from the proceeds of the deal, following an appeal by the European Commission at the request of Spain.

For its part, Morocco allocates fishing compensation to develop fishermen's villages in the south, improve their working conditions, and fund a freezing system to maintain the quality of fish through the Halieutis Plan.

Rabat considers the EU compensation to be minimal, but it overlooks this in hopes of maintaining a partnership in the whole sector and developing scientific research. It has considered European parties as hostile to Moroccan interests, using marginal issues in order to coerce Rabat into accepting their conditions.

No decision by the European Court before 2024 is likely, meaning the crisis will drag on for Spanish sailors, who accuse Brussels of engaging in bureaucracy that pays no mind to the interests of sea workers.

Despite media exchanges and ideological differences between the two major political parties in Spain – the ruling Socialist Workers' Party and the opposition right-wing People's Party – both agree on the importance of urgently renewing the fishing agreement with Rabat, to alleviate the suffering of thousands of affected families.

For the first time, Morocco's involvement in fishing has become a part of the Spanish elections, leading to both supportive and defensive stances from candidates on the far left and far right.

Each party cites their own reasons, but most are antagonistic to immigrants from south Mediterranean countries and fear Moroccan economic and geopolitical superiority in the medium term if Rabat takes advantage of its strategic position to impose more conditions on the northern bank of the Mediterranean.

For the people, or only the rich?

The EU fish market is estimated to be worth more than $50bn annually. It is the largest in the world, due to the large consumption of sea products among European citizens – 4kg above the estimated global average of 20kg per capita per year.

Consumption reaches 56kg in Portugal and 46kg in Spain. In Morocco, it doesn't exceed 13kg per capita due to weak freezing systems in areas far from coastal cities.

Since 1988, residents have voiced their criticism of the repeated fishing agreements with the European Union, deeming them more political than economic.

They believe these deals have failed to lower fish prices, which has led to fish becoming a staple mainly for those with higher spending capabilities, particularly those living near Atlantic seaports, as well as tourist restaurants and hotels.

Foreign fishing vessels are accused of depleting natural stocks of traditional fish by employing environmentally prohibited nets. The catch is sold at sea and returns are transferred to accounts in European bank accounts without paying taxes.

Global partners seek proximity

For decades, countries have sought to align themselves with Morocco in order to reap sea-related benefits. It is considered the leading Arab and African country in the production and export of sea products, which amounted to about 1.5mn tons worth $3bn last year.

Rabat has so far signed fishing agreements with the United States, China, Russia, Japan, South Korea, India, the United Kingdom, France, Italy and, most recently, Israel.

But any agreements that do not challenge Morocco's maritime rights and international waters, situated between Europe and Africa, capitalise on abundant, accessible, and top-notch fish stocks.

The socialist Madrid government has warned its political opponents about this, emphasising that forging closer ties with Rabat will provide economic advantages to Spain that the fishing fleet cannot afford to overlook or compensate for elsewhere.

A crisis on the horizon

Over the last 60 years, the world's consumption of fish has doubled, from 10kg per capita per annum in 1961 to 20kg in 2020. Prices have doubled, as well, and as such, fish have become food for the rich.

Indeed, this development benefited mainly rich countries, where per capita consumption in Japan reached 49kg per annum, 56.8kg in Portugal, 22.7kg in the United States, 21kg on average in Europe, and 39kg in China. It didn't exceed 10kg in the African continent, according to an FAO report.

The FAO predicts that the demand for fish and seafood consumption in developed countries will increase in the coming years, adding that the world needs to make 203mn tons available by 2031. This could deplete the marine stocks of developing countries due to overfishing by major trans-continental companies.

Climate change, rising sea levels, and warming oceans also accelerate the risk of extinction for some 2,000 fish species, scientists estimate. This could pose a severe food crisis in developing countries in the near future, similar to the grain supply crisis of the Russian-Ukrainian war.