On June 14, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) signed a Record of Discussions (R/D) with the Government of the Kingdom of Morocco on the technical cooperation project “Blue Growth-type Aquaculture Development Project.
Sea fisheries are one of the industries that support Morocco’s economy. While nearly 90% of Morocco’s fisheries production comes from the Atlantic waters in the south, the majority of coastal and small-scale fishermen, who account for more than 90% of the country’s fishermen, make their living in the Mediterranean coastal areas in the north of the country. There is a growing interest in the development of marine aquaculture as a means of ensuring stable and sustainable fishery production for these small and marginal fishermen. Morocco’s coastline is mostly linear, with limited sheltered water areas such as bays and lagoons, and a lack of suitable aquaculture sites, which is a technical barrier to aquaculture development in the country.
This project will promote sustainable small-scale aquaculture of shellfish and algae in a “blue-growth” style (see note), which is oriented toward environmental harmony and local development, in the rural coastal fishing villages of northern and central Morocco by utilizing the aquaculture technology transferred through the Japanese grant aid “Technical Research Center for Shellfish Aquaculture Construction Project” and other past technical cooperation programs, as well as technologies such as the Fisheries Extension System. The project will promote the implementation of sustainable small-scale shellfish and algae aquaculture in an environmentally friendly and rural development-oriented manner. This project is expected to serve as a model for the development of sea-based aquaculture in other sub-Saharan African regions, where small-scale fishermen predominate, and will contribute to SDG Goal 14 (Protect the marine wealth) and Goal 1 (Eliminate poverty).
(Note) Blue Growth is a strategy to promote blue economy advocated by FAO and Mediterranean countries including the EU, which focuses on economic growth and employment on the premise of harmony with the environment.
The details of the project are as follows
© Source JICA