Morocco Expands Offshore Fish Farming Near Spanish Waters, Sparking Tensions

Spain has officially complained to Morocco about the installation of the three fish farms in the Chafarinas Islands, near Melilla. But the kingdom does not seem to be stopping its momentum. It has just authorized a dozen companies to build fish farms in the Sahara, more precisely in the bay of Dakhla, reports El Español.

Morocco had published in its official journal of November 4, the decrees authorizing the companies Seacom Aquaculture Sarl, Grands Chantiers du Sahara Gacsa and Talhamar Snc to install fish farms for the breeding of oysters, sea bass and sea bream in Dakhla. These companies will be able to settle on an area of 2 to 25 hectares that they will be able to exploit for a period of ten years renewable.

To read: Spain Protests Moroccan Fish Farm in Disputed Waters, Citing Navigation and Environmental Concerns

On November 18, the newspaper again publishes the decrees authorizing a dozen companies to install their fish farms on an area of 2 to 45 hectares in the same zone, including eight in Dakhla for the breeding of oysters and the rest in Agadir, Sidi Ifni, Chefchaouen and Berkane, for the cultivation of algae. These authorizations are also granted for a period of ten years and can be renewed at the request of the company.

The Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs has recently sent a "verbal note" to the Moroccan embassy to denounce this "illegal" presence of the kingdom in Spanish territorial waters, recalls the same source.

To read: Spain’s PP Urges Government Action on Moroccan Fish Farm Expansion Near Melilla

The situation is also worrying the Canary Islands. "We are concerned about the impunity with which Morocco continues to act in the waters of Western Sahara with the complicit silence of the international community. [...] We do not understand the passivity of Spain or the silence of the UN," declares the party of Fernando Clavijo, who has been demanding for two years the appearance of the Minister of Foreign Affairs to clarify the legal situation of the waters of the Canary Islands. José Manuel Albares will finally appear on December 16 before the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Senate to provide a response to these concerns.