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While Brussels continues to review the European Union Court's decisions, which excluded products from the Sahara from agreements signed with Morocco, Russia is nearing the signing of a new fishing agreement with Morocco.
Russian news agency Interfax reported that Russia might secure the right to fish between 90,000 and 100,000 tons of fish annually in Morocco's exclusive economic zone under a new draft agreement spanning four years. The Russian government has requested the federal agency for marine resources to sign it with Morocco once negotiations are concluded.
The Russian government published the draft agreement on the official legal information website, and it is expected to replace the previous agreement, which came into effect in 2020 and is set to expire at the end of 2024.
The draft stipulates a fixed annual quota of 90,000 tons, with the possibility of revision upwards or downwards, provided it does not exceed a ceiling of 100,000 tons. Up to 10 Russian ships will be allowed to fish in Moroccan waters during the first year of the new agreement, with the number of ships in subsequent years to be determined by the Russian-Moroccan joint committee for maritime fishing.
The project sets a fixed annual fee of $7.75 million for Russian ships' access to the Moroccan economic zone, in addition to requiring shipowners to pay fishing license fees and additional charges amounting to 17.5% of the total annual catch value.
Russia focuses on fishing species such as sardines, small sardines, and mackerel in this special economic zone of Morocco.
The head of the federal agency for marine resources, Ilya Shestakov, previously stated that fishing prospects in African waters could significantly expand for Russian fishermen thanks to the «Great African Mission», which launched in August 2024 and aims to study fish stocks in the exclusive economic zones of 19 African countries. The first phase of the mission included a survey of the seas of Morocco, Mauritania, the Republic of Guinea, and Guinea-Bissau.
Shestakov said, «In light of the fish stock estimates, we hope to gain fishing rights in the areas of other African countries». He added that Russia might also secure larger quotas of various types of fish.
Similar to previous agreements, Algeria and the Polisario Front are expected to remain silent on the Russian announcement of the nearing signing of a new fishing agreement with Morocco, which includes the waters of the Sahara. Notably, they hasten to condemn any agreement signed by the European Union with Morocco that includes the Sahara, even resorting to the European Court of Justice.
