Projects

Evaluation of the Morocco Small Scale Fisheries Project

2018-2022

Project Overview

Objective

To evaluate the MCC’s efforts to improve the quality of fish moving through domestic channels and assure the sustainable use of fishing resources through the Fish Landing Sites and Ports Facilities Activity, the Wholesale Fish Markets Activity, and the Marine Protected Areas Sub-Activity.

Project Motivation

MCC is committed to a culture of rigorous evaluation, and this project evaluated whether improving conditions for small-scale fishers, and increasing sustainable use of fishing resources, had improved the overall economic efficiency and productivity of the small-scale fisheries system in Morocco. 

Partners in Progress

  • California Environmental Associates
  • C&O Marketing
  • Chezeen Business

Prepared For

Millennium Challenge Corporation

Though Morocco’s fishing industry is a leader in Africa, small-scale fisheries remain underdeveloped. In response, MCC invested $111.3 million over five years to address poor infrastructure, weak supply chain management, inadequate training for fishers, and lack of access to markets.
This was a four-year project to rigorously evaluate the Millennium Challenge Corporation’s investment in improving the quality of fish moving through domestic channels and assure the sustainable use of fishing resources in Morocco. The ex-post evaluation studied the implementation of the project, its sustainability, and the interventions’ contributions to improved outcomes. Mathematica conducted a mixed-methods ex-post evaluation of (1) the Fish Landing Sites and Ports Facilities Activity, (2) the Wholesale Fish Markets Activity, and (3) the Marine Protected Areas Sub-Activity. Data collection included a fisher survey, administrative data from on fish sales, infrastructure assessments, key informant interviews, and focus groups. Mathematica worked closely with MCC, MCA-M, and Moroccan government stakeholders to build evaluation materials and collect data.

Mathematica found that most project activities were implemented according to plan, and the infrastructure was generally high-quality. The number of fishers using the ports and fish landing sites increased, and both fishers and staff reported improvements in fish quality and satisfaction with the facilities. The evaluation did not find a conclusive link between the reported improvements and increases in fish prices or fishers’ revenue. Nonetheless, the evaluation revealed, across both project sites and other fishing sites in Morocco, a shift toward higher-value species and an increase in fishers’ revenues. Since the project, there has also been a shift toward greater government investment in the small-scale fishing industry in Morocco, including further development of infrastructure and support for the entire fishing value chain.

Related Staff

Abbie Turiansky

Abbie Turiansky

Researcher

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Elena Moroz

Elena Moroz

Researcher

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Matt Sloan

Matt Sloan

Senior Director, International Bilateral and Multilateral Organizations

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Sarah Leser

Sarah Leser

Research Analyst

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