On Tuesday 18 July, the construction works for the first marine fish hatchery in Morocco were inaugurated. This aquaculture project will cover an area of 2.28 hectares and will form part of the value chain for the supply of fingerlings.
This project will have an investment of 120 million dirhams and will be developed by the company "Aquago", a Moroccan subsidiary of Agrigo Group. It will have a production capacity of up to 30 million local fingerlings of different species, such as sea bream or sea bass, which will be supplied to national aquaculture farms and fish farms.
The Regional Investment Centre of the Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region has been in charge of obtaining the necessary permits for the support of the National Agency for the Development of Aquaculture in the implementation of this project.
According to the Moroccan Press Agency (MAP), the Moroccan Minister of Agriculture, Maritime Fisheries, Rural Development and Water and Forests, Mohamed Sadiki, has declared that "this hatchery is the first fish seed production project in Morocco for which the State grants financial support in the form of an investment premium for the purchase of hatchery equipment for a sum of 20 million dirhams, noting that the sector benefits from a great interest in the framework of the "Halieutis" plan, which will allow Morocco to increase its production and the development of the marine fisheries sector in a balanced, qualitative and sustainable manner.
The construction of this commercial marine fish hatchery is part of the national "Halieutis" 2020 plan, which focuses on the preservation of fishery resources and the marine ecosystem through the promotion of national fish consumption, the increase and number of jobs related to industry and agriculture, and the strengthening of the contribution of the fisheries sector to the national economy.
The director of the National Agency for the Development of Aquaculture, Majida Maarouf, was present at the inauguration of this project, and according to MAP, stated that "this project is in line with the strategies of the National Agency for the Development of Aquaculture, which spares no effort to support such projects as part of the implementation of Morocco's wise and long-term policy in the field of aquaculture and to provide a suitable platform for investment in the sector, which is undergoing significant and tangible developments".
This project will not only support the national economy in the marine fisheries sector, but will also contribute to the preservation of natural resources and the sustainable development of the aquaculture sector.
