MOROCCO · FISHERIES
Key Facts
- The country Morocco is a North African kingdom with long Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts and a large fishing industry.
- What happened On Friday 30 October 2026 the fisheries minister opened a pilot fish farm at sea off Sidi Ifni.
- The farm Four floating cages sit about seven nautical miles offshore and are meant to produce 280 tonnes a year.
- The money Total cost is 50 million dirhams (about US$5.1 million), mostly public money.
- Still open Sales plans, the final fish price and any private roll-out have not been announced.
The first Morocco offshore fish farm opened at sea off the Atlantic town of Sidi Ifni, according to the fisheries ministry and its research institute. It was inaugurated on Friday 30 October 2026 and cost 50 million dirhams (about US$5.1 million at 9.84 dirhams to the US dollar).
The Morocco offshore fish farm is meant to show that fish can be raised in rough open water, far from sheltered bays. For US readers it signals where a big seafood nation seeks growth.
What Opened at Sidi Ifni
The Morocco offshore fish farm was inaugurated on 30 October 2026 by Ahmed Mehdi Mezouari, the fisheries minister, who took office on 16 October. The National Institute for Fisheries Research, known by its French initials INRH, built it as a state science project.
Organisers describe it as the first pilot of its kind on Morocco’s Atlantic front and on the African continent. The ministry says it is meant to overcome the scientific and technical problems of farming fish in harsh sea conditions.
How the Morocco Offshore Fish Farm Works
The farm sits about seven nautical miles from Sidi Ifni port, on a 25-hectare concession where the water is 40 to 45 metres deep. It has four floating cages, each 29 metres wide, with a combined capacity of 280 tonnes a year, or 70 tonnes per cage.
A catamaran named Amane, a twin-hulled work boat, handles maintenance and feeding. On shore, an 800-square-metre base in the port holds warehouses, a scientific laboratory and offices.
Five Years of Testing
The opening follows a trial phase that ran from 2021 to 2026, according to the project figures. It included tests of how well floating cages resist storms, plus studies of the ocean conditions at the site.
Researchers also completed a full cycle, from larvae to market size, for an amberjack-family fish called sériole royale in French. The institute’s board said in July 2026 that the first farming cycle at the Sidi Ifni offshore farm had been completed.
Who Is Paying for It
The fisheries ministry pays 40 million dirhams (about US$4.1 million), drawn from sector support linked to the Morocco-European Union fisheries agreement. The research institute adds 4 million dirhams (about US$0.4 million) from its own resources.
The last 6 million dirhams (about US$0.6 million) is expected to come from selling the trial harvest. That means the project depends largely on public funds until a commercial buyer or operator takes over.
A Coast With Room to Grow
The Morocco offshore fish farm follows a national map of coastal areas suited to aquaculture, the farming of fish, shellfish and seaweed. The map found potential output above 300,000 tonnes a year across 24,000 hectares.
Of that area, 8,000 hectares are earmarked for fish, and 75% of those lie in open water on the Atlantic side. In 2021 the UN food agency also launched a US$2.5 million project, funded by Norway and the Netherlands, for training farms off Sidi Ifni.
What It Means for US Readers
Morocco has had a free trade agreement with the United States since 2006, so farmed fish could one day reach American buyers. Investors in seafood, feed and marine equipment can watch how public pilots open up new coastal business.
The farm fits a wider coastal build-up, including the new Nador port in the Rio Times report Morocco’s US$5.5B Nador Port Nears Opening. Readers can find the wider resource picture in the Rio Times Morocco natural resources explainer.
What Is Not Known
The ministry has not said when the Morocco offshore fish farm will sell fish at scale, who will run it commercially, or at what price. It has also not said whether private companies will be invited to build similar offshore farms nearby.
The trial figures cite an average weight of 400 grams after 16 months of fattening, which the project calls the market target. Independent checks of the survival rate, which officials call exceptional, have not been published.
More: Morocco news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Morocco’s first offshore fish farm?
The Morocco offshore fish farm is a pilot farm built by the national fisheries research institute off Sidi Ifni. It has four floating cages in open Atlantic water and was inaugurated on 30 October 2026.
How much did the farm cost?
The total cost is 50 million dirhams (about US$5.1 million). The fisheries ministry pays 40 million, the research institute 4 million, and trial sales are expected to cover 6 million.
How much fish will it produce?
The four cages are designed to produce 280 tonnes of fish a year, or 70 tonnes per cage. That is a pilot-scale volume rather than an industrial one.
Where is Sidi Ifni?
Sidi Ifni is a small port town on Morocco’s Atlantic coast in the south of the country. The farm lies about seven nautical miles offshore.
Which fish is being raised?
The trials used a fish of the amberjack family known in French as sériole royale. Researchers say they completed a full cycle from larvae to market size.
Sources: Morocco Department of Maritime Fisheries, announcement of the Sidi Ifni offshore farm, 30 October 2026; National Institute for Fisheries Research (INRH), board statement on Sidi Ifni, 16 July 2026.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief