Russia might secure right to catch 90,000-100,000 t of fish per year in Morocco's zone - draft agreement

MOSCOW. April 8 (Interfax) - Russia might secure the right to catch 90,000-100,000 tonnes of fish in Morocco's exclusive economic zone per year under the draft of a new four-year fishing agreement that the Russian government ordered the Federal Fisheries Agency to sign with the North African country after negotiations.

The order was signed on April 4 and posted on the official website for legal information, with the draft agreement attached. The he previous document, which went into effect in 2020, expired at the end of 2024.

The draft document sets the annual fishing quota for Russian vessels in Morocco's exclusive economic zone at 90,000 tonnes per year, with the possibility of review down or up, but no more than 100,000 tonnes. Up to 10 Russian vessels will be able to fish in Morocco's waters in the first year of the new agreement. Their number in subsequent years will be determined by the Russian-Moroccan fishing commission.

The fixed annual payment for Russian vessels' access to Morocco's zone is set at $7.75 million. Ship owners will also need to pay for fishing licenses and pay 17.5% of the value of their total fish catch annually.

Russia primarily catches sardines, sardinella, mackerel and anchovies in Morocco's economic zone.

Federal Fisheries Agency head Ilya Shestakov said earlier that prospects for fishing in African waters could increase significantly for Russian fishers as a result of the Great African Expedition, which began in August 2024. The research expedition is doing a study of fish stocks in the exclusive economic zones of 19 African countries. The first phase of the expedition surveyed the waters of Morocco, Mauritania, the Republic of Guinea and Guinea-Bissau.

"As a result of the estimate of stocks we hope that we'll get the right to fish in the zones of other African countries," Shestakov said. Russia could also secure larger fishing quotas for various types of fish.