THIS PAGE IS NO LONGER UPDATED15.10 - 2019 10:32 This site was run by Western Sahara Resource Watch as part of its campaign to stop the EU from fishing in occupied Western Sahara through its Fisheries Agreements with Morocco.
This site will no longer be updated, but is kept for archive purposes. Users should be aware that the information on this page - including the background articles - is out of date.
For the latest developments on illegal EU fisheries practices in occupied Western Sahara, we refer you to our website www.wsrw.org.
Moroccan government accused of fraud with EU anti-driftnet money29.06 - 2015 Morocco received 4 million € from the European Union to put a stop to the harmful use of driftnets. Morocco's Trade Union of Traditional and Coastal Fishermen claims that the entire sum was given to two individuals lacking any legal status to receive the money, and has taken the matter to court.Read more
Maria Damanaki opposed continued EU fishing in Western Sahara02.12 - 2014 A document leaked by a Moroccan whistleblower indicates that former EU Commissioner for Fisheries did not want to renew the fisheries agreement with Morocco due to human rights violations in Western Sahara, but was allegedly pushed by the Head of the Commission, José Manuel Barroso. Read more
UN former legal chief slams EU legal view as "preposterous"09.08 - 2014 The EU will pay Morocco to fish offshore Western Sahara - a territory which is under Moroccan occupation. Former UN Legal Councel calls the EU's misuse of his assessment to defend fisheries in Western Sahara "preposterous", according to TIME magazine.Read more
Illegal EU fish agreement with Morocco now ratified by King21.07 - 2014 The King of Morocco has now ratified its dirty fisheries agreement with EU, allowing EU vessels to fish in Western Sahara waters under Moroccan occupation. The European Commission fails in geography regarding the location of the fisheries in communiqué.Read more
9 detained, threats of jail if demonstrating against EU fisheries14.03 - 2014 A peaceful protest by Saharawi fishermen in the El Aaiun harbour this week was broken up by the Moroccan police. Nine fishermen were taken to the police station for hours of questioning, and threatened with harder punishment if they were ever to protest the EU fisheries again.Read more
Here are the EU states that will benefit from the dirty fisheries11.02 - 2014 Eleven EU states have received fishing rights offshore occupied Western Sahara as part of the concluded Fisheries Partnership Agreement with Morocco. The owners of the fish, living under acute humanitarian conditions, receive emergency aid from the EU worth only a fraction of what these eleven states will harvest.Read more
Morocco adopts contentious EU-Morocco fish deal11.02 - 2014 Yesterday, the Moroccan Parliament unanimously adopted the EU-Morocco fisheries agreement. No wonder. Through the agreement, the EU will pay Morocco to fish in the waters offshore the territory Morocco is illegally occupying: Western Sahara.
Occupied Sahara: EU undermining Human Rights on Human Rights Day10.12 - 2013 Today, the European Parliament decided to back up the EU-Morocco fisheries agreement, opening for fishing in the waters of Western Sahara, a territory of which large parts have been occupied by Morocco since 1975. "A sad day for international peace and human rights" states WSRW. The deal was inked on the 1 year anniversary of the Nobel Peace Prize - and on the International Day of Human Rights. Read more
More vids of demonstration and victims of EU/Moroccan plans in Sahara08.12 - 2013 Saharawi social media are boiling over of videos and images of the demonstration yesterday against the EU plans to partner with Morocco to exploit the fish resources of the occupied territory. We have gathered some of it. Read more
Western Sahara president asks UN intervention to stop EU and Morocco08.12 - 2013 Saharawis protesting against the EU's provocative plans to pay Morocco for fishing rights in occupied Western Sahara were attacked by Moroccan police yesterday. President-in-exile asked in a letter today UN secretary general for intervention vis-à-vis Morocco's "repeated assaults against the peaceful and defenseless Sahrawi citizens" and to prevent illegal EU fisheries deal. Read more
Many injured in protest against EU/Spain fish plans in Western Sahara08.12 - 2013 Several Saharawis were injured by Moroccan police in a demonstration against the EU's plans to fish in occupied Western Sahara, Saturday evening. European Parliament will on Tuesday vote on an illegal fisheries agreement with Morocco, covering the occupied territory. The local people of Western Sahara are frustrated, not having been consulted as the UN and international law require. Read more
EU fish plans illegal, 21 jurists and lawyers state 05.12 - 2013 The aspects of international law that was of concern to the European Parliament back in 2011 have not been answered to in the new proposed fisheries agreement, state 21 jurists.
267 organisations ask European Parliament to reject fish accord05.12 - 2013 A large coalition of European and Western Sahara groups asks the European Parliament not to pay Morocco to fish in the waters it occupies. 16.189 individuals have joined the letter, including thousands of refugees from Western Sahara. Read more
President of African Parliament calls on EU to respect Sahara rights04.12 - 2013 In a critical letter dated 1 December 2013, the president of the Pan-African Parliament calls on the European Parliament's president, Mr. Martin Schulz, to vote against fisheries agreement with Morocco offshore the coast of the AU member state, Western Sahara. Read more
Greenpeace: EU parliament must vote no to Western Sahara fisheries02.12 - 2013 Greenpeace International today launched a report documenting the increasing private Moroccan fleet in Western Sahara. The combination of that fleet with a new European fisheries agreement with Morocco is not sustainable, according to Greenpeace, calling for the European Parliament to reject renewed EU fisheries in the occupied waters. Read more
European Liberal Youth calls for no EU fishing in occupied Sahara18.11 - 2013 The congress of the European Liberal youth organisation LYMEC this week-end called for the European Parliament to vote down a proposed fisheries agreement with Morocco covering the waters that Morocco has illegally occupied. Read more
The EU considers to pay Morocco to fish in occupied Western Sahara. An EU-Morocco Fisheries Agreement from 2013 would be both politically controversial and in violation of international law.
The international Fish Elsewhere! campaign demands the EU to avoid such unethical operations, and go fishing somewhere else. No fishing in Western Sahara should take place until the conflict is solved.
