Oslo – Aziz Akhannouch, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Rural Development and Waters and Forests, held talks, on Wednesday in Oslo, with his Norwegian counterpart Harald Tom Nesvik, on means to develop sentinel fisheries as part of sustainable management of coastal areas.

During these talks, held on the sidelines of the 6th “Our Ocean” Conference, which opened in the Norwegian capital, the two ministers discussed the possibility of creating a network of fishermen cooperatives in order to involve them in the resource evaluation process, through scientific observation and the collection of fishery and environmental data.

“We talked about a training program with the Norwegian fisheries associations for the involvement of fishermen in the decision-making process of research, so as to enable them to play the role of operator and observer of activities in the sea,” said Akhannouch in a statement to MAP at the end of this meeting.

“During this meeting which was positive and dynamic, we also discussed means of cooperation in the aquaculture industry, in addition to pilot projects that could be undertaken in other parts of Africa, with Norway’s financial support, as part of the implementation of the Blue Belt Initiative,” he added.

In a similar statement, the Norwegian Minister of Fisheries described as “very good” and “innovative” the Moroccan strategy in the fisheries sector, underlining the importance for Morocco and Norway to develop their cooperation in the future and to join efforts.

Tom Nesvik said the two countries can share information and collaborate in many areas, notably in the aquaculture sector and sentinel fisheries to address the issue of fisheries sustainability.