The number of processed seafood products in 2023 at the ports and fishing villages along the Mediterranean coast of northern Morocco decreased by 6%–marking only 16,981 tons in 2023 compared to 18,318 tons in 2022–according to the latest report from the National Office of Fisheries.
The office added that the market value of processed seafood products also experienced a decrease of 4%, valued at 586.93 million Moroccan MAD, compared to 611.16 million MAD in 2022.
In terms of specific types of seafood, the quantity of processed surface fish at these ports–located along the coastal strip between Tangier in the west and Saidia in the east–amounted to 7,824 tons (a decrease of 5%) with a market value of approximately 152.01 million MAD (an increase of 3%), compared to 8,263 tons and 147.13 million MAD the previous year.
The total of processed white fish at the ports in the region crept up by 1%–reaching 2,871 tons with a market value of around 108.05 million MAD–compared to 2,852 tons and a 97.57 million MAD valuation in 2022.
The number of processed cephalopods plummeted by 14%–attaining only 3,948 tons with a value equivalent of 237.53 million MAD–while shellfish increased to 1,255 tons, exhibiting a value of 81.83 million MAD.
The total quantity of processed mollusks amounted to 1,081 tons with a value of approximately 7.49 million MAD, while the activity of extracting algae dropped sharply, decreasing by nearly 100%, from 669 tons in 2022 to only one ton in 2023.
The total processed coastal and traditional fishing yields–across all ports and fishing villages along the coasts of the Kingdom of Morocco–amounted to 1,350,190 tons in 2023, marking an 11% decrease compared to 2022, while the market value increased by 3% to over 9.98 billion MAD.