The Ministry of Agriculture, Maritime Fisheries, Rural Development and Water and Forests and the European Union in Morocco inaugurated on Monday, November 27, 2023, in Agadir, a new coastal research boat “Ibn Sina II” of the National Institute of Fisheries Research (INRH).
Dedicated to scientific prospecting of coastal areas, through scientific fishing, oceanographic and biological measurements, and sampling, the scientific research vessel will enable comprehensive studies of marine ecosystems to be carried out across the entire coastal fringe.
It has two biological and chemical analysis laboratories and cutting-edge equipment on board. This vessel, with a budget of 34 million DH, is financed by European sectoral support as part of the partnership agreement in the field of sustainable fishing between the European Union and the Kingdom of Morocco, concluded on July 18, 2019.
The inauguration took place in the presence of the Minister of Agriculture, Maritime Fisheries, Rural Development, and Water and Forests, a representative of the Delegation of the European Union to Morocco, the Wali of the region Souss-Massa, the President of the council of the Souss Massa region and the President of the Central Atlantic Chamber.
This action demonstrates the EU’s support for the implementation of a sustainable fisheries policy and ocean governance. Indeed, the contribution to scientific research is an essential element of the Morocco-EU fisheries agreement.
On this occasion, the EU Ambassador to Morocco, Patricia Llombart Cussac said: “ The European Union and Morocco are pleased that this scientific partnership can continue within the framework of this fishing agreement. This inauguration is an opportunity to recall the crucial role that science plays in supporting fisheries management and the essential nature of cooperation between the EU and Morocco in this area. »
The importance of this joint work was also underlined by the Director General of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries of the European Commission, Charlina Vitcheva, during her recent visit, on November 17, to the laboratories of the IRNH center in Tangier.
