Morocco's fish production down 32%

Morocco's fish production totaled 419,087 tonnes up to July 2011, that is a 32% decrease compared to the same period of 2010, said a statement from the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries. The decrease is due to the growing demand for sea products and a drop in the supply of certain species during the last few weeks. Coastal and small-scale fishing production reached 386,717 tonnes, that is a decline of 33% compared to the same period of last year.        The decline was primarily due to a decrease in pelagic fish unloading dominated by small pelagics (sardines, mackerel), which stood at 37% during the same period of 2010. However, the production of crustaceans soared to 105% during the first seven months of 2011, compared to the same period of the previous year.