Morocco boasts one of Africa’s most productive fishing industries, thanks to its extensive Atlantic coastline and nutrient-rich waters influenced by the Canary Current. The country’s top fish catches include sardines, anchovies, mackerel, and sardinella, with sardines being especially prominent—Morocco is among the world’s leading sardine exporters. Other important species are octopus, squid, and hake. The Moroccan fishing industry dates back centuries, but it saw significant modernization and expansion in the mid-20th century, particularly after independence in 1956. Today, fishing is a vital economic sector, providing employment to hundreds of thousands and contributing substantially to export revenues, with major ports like Agadir, Casablanca, and Laayoune serving as hubs for both artisanal and industrial fleets.
| Rank | Fish Species | Metric Tons |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | European pilchard(=Sardine) | 989,735 |
| 2 | Atlantic chub mackerel | 266,652 |
| 3 | Octopuses, etc. nei | 52,453 |
| 4 | Jack and horse mackerels nei | 44,320 |
| 5 | Mullets nei | 23,496 |
| 6 | Cuttlefish, bobtail squids nei | 21,122 |
| 7 | Atlantic bonito | 21,043 |
| 8 | European anchovy | 19,064 |
| 9 | Marine fishes nei | 14,534 |
| 10 | Various squids nei | 14,181 |
| 11 | Cyprinids nei | 13,500 |
| 12 | Red seaweeds | 11,180 |
| 13 | Natantian decapods nei | 9,371 |
| 14 | Largehead hairtail | 8,301 |
| 15 | Skipjack tuna | 7,470 |
| 16 | European hake | 7,366 |
| 17 | Atlantic bluefin tuna | 6,269 |
| 18 | Bogue | 6,036 |
| 19 | Porgies, seabreams nei | 5,121 |
| 20 | Flatfishes nei | 3,928 |
| 21 | Rubberlip grunt | 3,183 |
| 22 | Swordfish | 2,888 |
| 23 | Croakers, drums nei | 2,428 |
| 24 | Gurnards, searobins nei | 2,240 |
| 25 | Freshwater fishes nei | 2,000 |
| 26 | Rays, stingrays, mantas nei | 1,979 |
| 27 | Weevers nei | 1,929 |
| 28 | Common sole | 1,876 |
| 29 | Sargo breams nei | 1,568 |
| 30 | Grunts, sweetlips nei | 1,561 |
| 31 | Axillary seabream | 1,483 |
| 32 | Black seabream | 1,474 |
| 33 | Sharks, rays, skates, etc. nei | 1,423 |
| 34 | Bigeye tuna | 1,363 |
| 35 | Common pandora | 1,331 |
| 36 | European conger | 1,265 |
| 37 | Marine molluscs nei | 1,232 |
| 38 | Pargo breams nei | 960 |
| 39 | John dory | 903 |
| 40 | Pandoras nei | 882 |
| 41 | Vadigo | 875 |
| 42 | Monkfishes nei | 831 |
| 43 | Surmullets(=Red mullets) nei | 826 |
| 44 | Sardinellas nei | 760 |
| 45 | Yellowfin tuna | 640 |
| 46 | Palinurid spiny lobsters nei | 631 |
| 47 | Pouting(=Bib) | 628 |
| 48 | Frigate and bullet tunas | 609 |
| 49 | Madeiran sardinella | 597 |
| 50 | Sea lettuce | 588 |
Data from FAO. 2025. Global Capture Production. In: Fisheries and Aquaculture.