New Fish Market at occupied town of Boujdour
Article image
A new fish market has been inaugurated at the port of Boujdour in occupied Western Sahara, south of the capital El Aaiun. The development expands Morocco's capacity to exploit the already damaged fish stocks even further.
Published 01 August 2013


The 2.9m euro market will have state-of-the-art facilities, being next to the port where the fish is off-loaded. With a floor area of 2,478m2 it contains also cool rooms and ice-making facilities, shops for fishermen and fish merchants.

Boujdour is located quite central on the El Aaiun - Dakhla axis, the two major ports of occupied Western Sahara. As such, the new fish market is situated on a part of the coast that is particularly rich in fish, though some stocks are over-exploited or in danger of becoming over-exploited due to the intensive fishing by foreign fleets - first and foremost by the fleet of the occupying power, Morocco.

The opening of the fish market antecedes the inaugural of a new port, expected in the very near future. That new port is eagerly awaited for by the fish industry that is landing catches in occupied Western Sahara. The new port will have a capacity for 36 fishing vessels and 300 artisan boats, and will allow for an annual landing of around 170,000 tonnes of pelagic fish.

The Boujdour fish market is the second of the so-called "new generation" fish markets, installed by the Moroccan government in the territory it illegally holds. The El Aaiun fish market, according to Moroccan media the largest fish market in all of Africa, started operation in 2009. The Moroccan government is also planning to modernise Dakhla's fish market. A call for offers to construct the new Dakhla fish market was closed on 18 July.


Anchoring occupation: Morocco to construct $1bn port in Western Sahara

Tenders are expected to be launched before the end of the year.

04 October 2019

Moroccan report reveals EU funding to occupied territories

Morocco is spending most of the funding it receives as part of the EU-Morocco fish deal building up infrastructure in occupied Western Sahara. And the European Commission is fully aware of this.

19 April 2016

Morocco dreams of new monster port in Western Sahara

The Moroccan government’s new “Plan Halieutis” envisages big investments in Western Sahara. No reference is made as to whether the plan is according to the wishes of the Sahrawi people.
29 December 2010

Report: EU-Morocco fisheries depends on illegal occupation

An external evaluation report on the EU-Morocco fisheries agreement 2019-2023 confirms that the agreement revolves, in its entirety, around Western Sahara.

08 March 2024