Oceana has published a report this week claiming to include evidence that swordfish caught illegally by Moroccan vessels is being sold in Spain.
According to the organisation, a fleet of an estimated 150 Moroccan vessels has been using driftnets (which are banned in the Mediterranean) in the Alboran Sea and the Straits of Gibraltar.
The hundreds of tons of swordfish caught in these nets are then sold in Spain by companies located in Vigo that distribute the fish in Spain and also re-export to Italy.
Research catamaran “The Oceana Ranger” sailed the Alboran Sea in August 2006 to detect, film and photograph the Moroccan driftnetters.
Oceana has also monitored the commercial channels for the swordfish caught by this fleet.
According to Oceana, the European Union and the United States are in talks with the Moroccan Government urging them to prohibit the use of driftnets in their fleets. As part of a new fishing agreement, the European Union will subsidise Morocco, providing €1,250,000 each year to contribute to the conversion of this fleet.
The full report “The use of driftnets by the Moroccan fleet” can be found at www.oceana.org/index.php?id=1774
