Chapter 15
Description of Artisanal Fisheries
in Southern Alboran Sea
Mohammed Malouli Idrissi and Mériem Benziane
15.1 Introduction
The Moroccan Mediterranean coast extends from Saïdia in the East to Tangier in the
West, along a length of almost 512 km of coastline. It includes nearly 90 landing
sites for fishing products, including 6 fishing ports, 5 fishing villages, and 8 landing
points (Malouli Idrissi et al. 1999, INRH; Malouli Idrissi 2004, CAR/ASP).
Artisanal fishing in the Mediterranean Sea is one of the mainstay of the region’s
economy. It offers a significant number of jobs and provides an important amount of
currency to the country, through the exportation of its products.
The rocky nature of the seabed at the Mediterranean level, the presence of
diversified fishery resources of high commercial value and the migration of Bluefin
tuna and swordfish across the Strait of Gibraltar, have been the vectors of the
development of a particular small-scale fishery, composite, and multi-gear (Malouli
Idrissi 2018, FST Tanger).
At the regional level, the artisanal fishing fleet is about 3100 units. The artisanal
fishers use different kinds of fishing gears (nets, hooks, traps) and targeting a
multitude of species during specific periods of the year (Malouli Idrissi et al. 2008).
The Mediterranean Sea has a great biological diversity characterized by the
presence of sedentary stocks made up of a high commercial value fish species. Its
strategic position in connection with the Strait of Gibraltar, allows the passage of
high migratory species, in particular Bluefin tuna and swordfish. This gives the
region a wealth of additional species in high international demand, such as Octopus,
blackspot seabream, etc. (Malouli Idrissi 2004; CAR/ASP).
In the previous chapter (Baro et al. 2020, in this book), was described the
importance of artisanal fishing in the Mediterranean Sea in general, and the Alboran
Sea in particular. Moreover, Baro et al. (2020) highlighted the importance of
M. Malouli Idrissi (*) · M. Benziane
Institut National de Recherche Halieutique, Casablanca, Morocco
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
J. C. Báez et al. (eds.), Alboran Sea - Ecosystems and Marine Resources,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-65516-7_15
543
Description of Artisanal Fisheries
in Southern Alboran Sea
Mohammed Malouli Idrissi and Mériem Benziane
15.1 Introduction
The Moroccan Mediterranean coast extends from Saïdia in the East to Tangier in the
West, along a length of almost 512 km of coastline. It includes nearly 90 landing
sites for fishing products, including 6 fishing ports, 5 fishing villages, and 8 landing
points (Malouli Idrissi et al. 1999, INRH; Malouli Idrissi 2004, CAR/ASP).
Artisanal fishing in the Mediterranean Sea is one of the mainstay of the region’s
economy. It offers a significant number of jobs and provides an important amount of
currency to the country, through the exportation of its products.
The rocky nature of the seabed at the Mediterranean level, the presence of
diversified fishery resources of high commercial value and the migration of Bluefin
tuna and swordfish across the Strait of Gibraltar, have been the vectors of the
development of a particular small-scale fishery, composite, and multi-gear (Malouli
Idrissi 2018, FST Tanger).
At the regional level, the artisanal fishing fleet is about 3100 units. The artisanal
fishers use different kinds of fishing gears (nets, hooks, traps) and targeting a
multitude of species during specific periods of the year (Malouli Idrissi et al. 2008).
The Mediterranean Sea has a great biological diversity characterized by the
presence of sedentary stocks made up of a high commercial value fish species. Its
strategic position in connection with the Strait of Gibraltar, allows the passage of
high migratory species, in particular Bluefin tuna and swordfish. This gives the
region a wealth of additional species in high international demand, such as Octopus,
blackspot seabream, etc. (Malouli Idrissi 2004; CAR/ASP).
In the previous chapter (Baro et al. 2020, in this book), was described the
importance of artisanal fishing in the Mediterranean Sea in general, and the Alboran
Sea in particular. Moreover, Baro et al. (2020) highlighted the importance of
M. Malouli Idrissi (*) · M. Benziane
Institut National de Recherche Halieutique, Casablanca, Morocco
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
J. C. Báez et al. (eds.), Alboran Sea - Ecosystems and Marine Resources,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-65516-7_15
543