DR ‹ › The Russian Federal Agency for Fisheries has announced the opening of the application process for the allocation of fishing quotas for pelagic species, sardines, sardinella, mackerel, horse mackerel, and anchovies, granted to the Russian Federation under the agreement signed with the Moroccan government on October 17, 2025. According to the agency, applications will be accepted from January 12 to January 30, 2026, for vessels engaged in industrial and/or coastal fishing. Applicants are required to submit their requests to the Russian Federal Agency for Fisheries using the official application form for the allocation of quotas for aquatic biological resources granted to the Russian Federation in areas covered by international fishing and conservation agreements, in line with the intended fishing activity. The agency further stressed that operators awarded quotas under this process must comply with maritime fishing regulations applicable in the Atlantic maritime zones where the Kingdom of Morocco exercises its sovereign rights and/or jurisdiction. The fisheries agreement was signed in Moscow on October 17, 2025, by Morocco's Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation, and Moroccan Expatriates, Nasser Bourita, and the head of Russia's Federal Agency for Fisheries, Ilya Shestakov. The agreement replaces the previous framework, which expired on December 31, 2024, and establishes the legal and operational conditions allowing Russian vessels to fish in Morocco's Atlantic waters, in accordance with Moroccan legislation. The agreement sets an annual catch quota that vessels must not exceed and clearly defines authorized fishing zones along the Moroccan Atlantic coast, as well as biological rest periods aimed at preserving fish stocks. As with previous fisheries agreements, Algeria and the Polisario Front did not react to the signing of the deal, despite its inclusion of waters off the coast of the Sahara. This silence contrasts with their usual swift condemnation of fisheries agreements between Morocco and the European Union that include the Sahara, which they have repeatedly challenged before the European Court of Justice.
