Occupied El Aaiun, 8 January 2025 (SPS) - The Association for Monitoring Resources and Protecting the Environment in Western Sahara condemned the illegal practices of the Moroccan occupation targeting marine resources in the territorial waters of occupied Western Sahara, particularly the octopus, which is considered an important resource that the occupation is hastily plundering.
The Association said in a statement that "recently, with the start of the octopus fishing season for 2025, we have witnessed a surge in the organized plundering practices carried out by the Moroccan occupation authorities, who brazenly violate all environmental and regulatory standards related to the fishing of this species, while biological reports confirm that the marine stock of octopus is at risk."
The Association added that "young octopuses are being targeted in marine dumps or in areas that are likely to be unsuitable for commercial fishing, leading to a serious depletion of marine resources and a significant environmental threat."
The Association emphasized in its statement that the Moroccan occupation benefits from the plundering of these marine resources, while the Sahrawi people suffer from unemployment, marginalization, starvation, poverty, and repression. It added that any protest or condemnation of these violations is suppressed by all means, exacerbating the suffering of the Sahrawi citizens under this ongoing occupation.
The Association called on the international community for urgent intervention to protect the marine resources of Western Sahara, considering it a universal right that must be respected and preserved for the benefit of all humanity. It urged international organizations concerned with environmental protection to intervene immediately to put an end to these practices that threaten biodiversity in the region and deplete its resources.
It also called for the implementation of strict measures to protect the octopus from fishing and to limit the use of harmful equipment that damages the marine environment, as well as the necessity of establishing international oversight mechanisms to ensure respect for the rights of the Sahrawi people to exploit their natural resources and enjoy their economic and social rights.
