According to Dakhla news, the pilot whale was caught by a Russian trawler in the Western Saharan deep seas, mid-December. That corresponds to the time the Russian fleet returned to the waters of occupied Western Sahara, some 72 hours after signing a fish agreement with occupying power Morocco.
The pictures of the dolphins were taken about three months ago aboard fishing vessels of the RSW type (Refrigerated Seawater), according to the fishermen associations in Dakhla; Nawras, Al-Qindil and the Saharawi Seamen Association. These vessels, the Saharawi fishermen say, are used by the Moroccan fleet or by foreign fishing companies fishing under the Moroccan flag. The latter are primarily European companies, they claim.
Just one week ago, the Saharawi fishermen took to the local Delegation for Fisheries to protest the lack of respect for marine wildlife in their occupied country. They say that the inspectors appointed to ensure that fishermen stick to the terms set out in the fishing agreements or contracts, including clauses on protection of marine animals, do not do their job properly.
Morocco has signed up to the Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans of the Black Sea, the Mediterranean Sea and the Contiuous Atlantic Area (ACCOBAMS) in 1999. The Agreement aims to protect of cetaceans (which include species such as common dolphins and whales) and calls on its members to enforce legislation to prevent the deliberate taking of cetaceans in fisheries by vessels under their flag or within their jurisdiction, and to minimise incidental catches.
Heidelberg Materials deepens its role in Morocco’s occupation of Western Sahara
The German company confirms once again that its operations in occupied Western Sahara are closely tied to Morocco’s infrastructure expansion in the territory - while continuing to dismiss the Saharawi people’s right to consent.
The conflict phosphates - four decades of plunder
For over 40 years, a Moroccan state-owned company has exported phosphate rock from occupied Western Sahara.
Record low number of importers of Western Sahara phosphates
Only three companies imported phosphate rock from occupied Western Sahara in 2025 - the lowest number ever recorded. The findings appear in our annual P for Plunder report, released today.
One of the richest coastlines in the world
The fish stocks of occupied Western Sahara have not only attracted the interest of the Moroccan fleet: other foreign interests are also fishing in the occupied waters through arrangements with Moroccan counterparts. Along the Western Saharan coastline, a processing industry has emerged.