Spain’s Popular Party Files Complaint Over Moroccan Fish Farms in Spanish Waters

In its 14-page complaint, the PP insisted on "the manifest danger" of these fish farms on the environment, as their "exploitation affects the marine ecosystem." But beyond the environmental aspect, the complaint has an obvious political scope, believes El Confidencial, specifying that in doing so, the PP is trying to put pressure on the government to dismantle all these Moroccan fish farms installed in the Chafarinas Islands.

The party also intends to denounce the passivity of the Executive in this matter during Pedro Sanchez’s appearance before Congress on June 8. The Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs had reacted last November to the installation of the first fish farm in the Chafarinas Islands by sending a "verbal note" to the Moroccan authorities. The navy, the Civil Guard, the general command of Melilla and the maritime captaincy of the city had alerted their respective ministries since May 2021 of Morocco’s intention to install these fish farms.

Since then, Spain has not taken any action to get Morocco to leave Spanish waters, no doubt to avoid upsetting Rabat. "All these facilities are located in Spanish territorial waters. The work was carried out by the Spanish company Morenot de Tarragona on behalf of the Moroccan company, Mediterranean Aquafarm, which obtained an operating concession published in the Official Gazette of Morocco on March 7, 2019," explained Gutiérrez Díaz de Otazu.

For the PP, the fish farm "does not have any license, concession or administrative authorization from any Spanish public authority or administration," stressing that Morocco "has no jurisdiction over Spanish waters." The PP’s complaint comes 72 hours after the meeting of its leader, Nuñez Feijoo, with Aziz Akhannouch, the head of the Moroccan government, in Rotterdam.