Russia Sets January Fishing Quotas for Its Fleet in Canary‑Saharan Bank Waters

Russian vessels will fish in the Canary‑Saharan bank where the European fleet stopped fishing

Russia is preparing to fish in the waters of Western Sahara, traditionally known as the Canary‑Saharan bank, a zone that the EU fleet abandoned in 2023.

The new fishing agreement signed between Morocco and Russia last October has now come into force. The signing took place during the 8th meeting of the Morocco‑Russia Intergovernmental Joint Commission, chaired by the Moroccan Foreign Minister and Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Patrushev.

According to a communiqué from the Moroccan Foreign Ministry, the agreement will last four years and replaces the previous pact that expired in December 2024.

The accord establishes the legal framework and practical modalities that allow Russian vessels to fish in the kingdom’s Atlantic waters, in line with current Moroccan regulations. It sets an annual catch quota that Russian ships cannot exceed, defines the authorized fishing zones, and stipulates biological rest periods in the affected areas to preserve fish populations.

In addition, the agreement aims to boost employment of Moroccan sailors aboard Russian vessels and to foster related activities in Moroccan ports.

During the meetings, both parties also agreed to deepen cooperation in sectors such as agriculture, energy, industry, transport, customs, education, and culture.

By contrast, there is currently no fishing agreement between the European Union and Morocco. The EU‑Morocco fisheries pact expired on 17 July 2023 after the European Court of Justice annulled the EU’s fishing and agricultural agreements with Morocco, ruling that the consent of the Sahrawi people had not been obtained for the exploitation of waters and crops in Western Sahara.

The lack of a renewed EU‑Morocco fishing deal left more than 120 European vessels—about 70 % (roughly 92 Spanish ships)—unable to fish in Moroccan and Western Saharan waters. Those vessels received compensation exceeding €300,000 for the loss of activity or sought alternative fishing grounds (Gulf of Cádiz, Mauritania, Madeira, the Canary Islands, etc.).

The Polisario Front does not denounce the agreement with Russia, but it has recently appealed the new EU‑Morocco agricultural agreement, arguing that it breaches EU court rulings by including Western Sahara without Sahrawi consent.