Russia outpaces EU in Sahara fishing waters

On the issue of fishing in Western Saharan waters, Russia has taken a decisive step ahead of the European Union. While Brussels is still analyzing the October 4 ruling by the CJEU, which excludes Saharan products from agreements with Morocco, the Russian Fisheries Agency has already allocated quotas for catches in Morocco's Atlantic Saharan waters, according to a Moscow-based newspaper.

This development signals the imminent conclusion of a new fishing agreement between Rabat and Moscow. In October 2024, both parties agreed to extend their four-year agreement, originally signed in October 2020, until the end of the year.

For professionals in the fishing industry, this is positive news. The Russian research vessel Atlantenero conducted a mission last October to assess small species in the region's waters. Its findings indicated satisfactory fish stocks.

«I think that Russian boat operators fishing off the Moroccan coast can increase the catch volume for next year», stated Ilya Shestakov, President of the Russian Federal Fisheries Agency, in recent press remarks.

Russian companies operating along this coast will be permitted to catch up to 10,000 tonnes of pelagic fish, including sardines. Meanwhile, European trawlers vacated this maritime area in July 2023.

Notably, neither the Polisario nor Algeria has commented on the Russian Federal Fisheries Agency's allocation of quotas, as was the case when the extension of the 2020 agreement between Russia and Morocco was announced.