The rays of the sun appeared dazed as it split a very cold morning fog from this February, at the confluence of a sea and a river, at the bank of the Bouregreg Valley in Rabat, and the smell of fish barbecue on a charcoal flame emanating from a small corner, mixed with the smell of coffee mixed with cigarette smoke from a traditional stall The silence of the place is only broken by a cat's meow in front of the small grill, and the sounds of seagulls who know when to break their fast.

In a few minutes the silence breaks over the seemingly usual noise of the place;

The opening of the auction has begun for the night’s sale of sardines, or what is called in the fishermen’s custom of "significance".

Minimized picture

Rasheed - who has been fishing for more than 20 years - stands in a special dress with pride and pride, awaiting the price that his loot will land on from the sea, and tells Al-Jazeera Net, "Sardine hunting is a specialty, and its method is different."

Rasheed and his colleagues are using traditional fishing boats (about 20 traditional boats for sardine fishing) and a new monitoring mechanism, which enables them to identify the presence and direction of sardine flocks.

On the other hand, Abdel Haq (49 years old) used to prepare his motorcycle equipped with a small refrigerator, and put in it what he was able to buy from the "significance" to embark on a distribution trip he practiced more than 14 years ago.

The image from the Bouregreg bank is a microcosm of the surface fishing fisheries - including sardines in particular - in Morocco, where traditional fishing is practiced in more than 150 sites, and the total number of jobs at sea during 2019 - according to the annual report of the Ministry of Agriculture and Maritime Fisheries - about 122 thousand and 127 jobs .

Canary streams

Morocco is located in a geographical location with rare natural qualifications, within one of the 4 regions in the world characterized by the natural phenomenon of "Apollines", or the so-called "water jets", which is the region of the Canary currents that extend from the Atlantic front of Morocco and Mauritania to northern Senegal.

(The other three regions are the Benguela currents in the width of southern Africa, the Florida region in the width of Florida, and the area of ​​the Hamburg currents in the width of Chile and Peru.)

And an expert in marine fishing, Muhammad Al-Naji, explains to Al-Jazeera Net that the regions of the currents produce the largest quantities of sardines and pelagic fish in the world.

Small pelagic fish (sardines, anchovies, macros, and mackerel) form the basis of marine resources (more than 80% of the fisheries by volume), and fish resources are spread throughout the Moroccan coasts.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has classified Morocco as the main producer and exporter of sardines (the island)

Economic wealth

Rachid spontaneously tells Al-Jazeera Net, “The sea has his livelihood” (The sea has his livelihood). The volume of Moroccan fish production at the end of 2019 reached one million and 461 thousand tons, with a circulation volume of 11.7 billion dirhams, an increase of 7% in volume and 1% in value compared to 2018. (One dollar equals 9.12 dirhams).

In particular, the production of pelagic fish increased by 64 thousand tons in 2019, which is equivalent to 86% of production, according to the annual report of the Ministry of Agriculture and Maritime Fisheries.

According to the ministry data, the increase in pelagic fish led to an estimate of the volume of sales of this group at 170 million dirhams.

The trend of increase remained positive during the period between 2010 and 2019, with an average annual increase of 2.8% in volume and 6.4% in value.

Canned sardine exports increased by 6% in terms of volume, to reach 116,850 tons, and 5% in value, to reach 3.6 billion dirhams at the end of September 2020.

The finest in the world

Morocco ranks first in the world in exporting canned sardines, and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has classified Morocco as the main producer and exporter of sardine fish.

The sardines found in Morocco belong to the European sardine, which is one of the finest and most sought-after sardines among the countries of the world, and which is known as "pilchard" or (pilchardus).

The Moroccan expert accredited to the Organization of Agriculture and Food, Mohamed Al-Naji, told Al-Jazeera Net that "European sardine" is a special variety, which is the highest quality in the world, and the best type of sardine.

Al-Naji adds that Morocco is the first producer of this type of sardine and the first source for it, and it has a huge stock, a well-managed trap, and creation schemes that depend on the quota system, which makes Morocco's wealth of sardines protected.

Morocco exports sardines to more than 60 countries, and directs more than half of sardine exports to Africa, while France is the first import market within the European market, and America is the most important customer for the semi-canned Moroccan corn, of which Morocco is the third exporter in the world.

Al-Naji states that about 60% of the added value in the sardine sector and its canned goods is gained outside Morocco for the benefit of distribution networks, and that despite Morocco's availability of the finest types, it did not impose Moroccan trademarks, as about 80% of companies operate in Morocco through handling (white products) for major companies. The global market and the distribution markets have a monopoly. Al-Naji adds that nearly 20% of sardine production passes through the informal market.

The first manufacturing units of sardine date back to the beginning of the 20th century (Al-Jazeera)

Food experience and culture

Abdelhak distributes fish to shops and restaurants, and confirms that the demand for sardines by the Moroccan citizen is high and is witnessing a continuous demand.

Sardine is considered essential in the Moroccan market, and specialists consider it one of the best types of fish in terms of nutritional value because it has a balanced fat content rich in omega-3.

The quantities traded in the wholesale markets increased by 16% during the first nine months of 2020, to reach 130,661 tons, with a value of 533.8 million dirhams, according to sector data.

Areas in the Moroccan north preserve the culture of sardine hunting, as some of the experiences accumulated by the fishermen are considered a cultural heritage, while the experience of the Moroccan workforce in the fishery industries sector and sardine and anchovy "sapling" is internationally accredited.

The first manufacturing units of sardine date back to the beginning of the 20th century, when the colonialists at that time used it as food for soldiers in war sites.