Marine fauna

Marine fauna, again incompletely inventoried, is counted at 7,136 known species.  Its organization is analoguous to that of world marine fauna, with the predominance of Arthropods, Mollusks, and Vertebrates that, together, constitute among 65% of the total of known fauna in Morocco, a value very close to that calculated on the world scale. The Arthropods (27% of the total fauna) are especially represented by Crustaceans; the Mollusks (22%) by the Gasteropods and Lamellibranches; andn the Vertebrates (16%) by fish. The rest of this fauna is divided over 15 branchings of variable importance.

Zooplanctonic marine fauna of Morocco seems the most diversified of all the Mediterranean, with 1063 species, represented in great part (65%) by Crustaceans, especially the Copepods (cf. Table 8). Fish, represented under the form of eggs and spawn, constitute around 3% of zooplancton species. The zooplancton represented an extremely important link in the trophic chain of numerous species of economic interest.

Endangered species

The endangered marine species in Morocco include 271 species (or 3.75% of the total marine fauna of our country), of which 108 are corrals, 85 species of fish, 23 crustaceans, 21 marine mammals, 20 mollusks, 6 marine turtles, 5 sponges, and finally 2 agnathes".

The endangered sponges belong to two genuses Spongia and Hippospongia. These sponges are not, of course, overexploited nor even exploited in Morocco, but they are so rare and probably affected by a viral epidemic that has decimated their population in the Mediterranean that they should be ‘strictly forbidden’ to fishing.

The endangered Cnidaires of our coasts count 108 corrals, or almost a third of the total of this group. They are equally menaced at the international scale.  It concerns the red Coral (Corallim rubrum), numerous black, and white corral (Scleractiniaires, Stylasterides and Antipathaires), as well as the Gorgonaire Eunicella verrucaria. The danger essentially weighs on the species and the over exploitation of their stocks and the destruction of their population by various fishing machines like the deep trawl.

On the national scale, red Coral, endangered in all its area of dispersion, is over exploited in numerous points (Asilah, Larache, Al Hoceima, etc.). For example, in the Mediterranean deposit of Al Hoceima, the collection of red Corral has fallen 4815 kg, in 1984 to only 183 kg in 1991.

For other species of corral we recognize practically nothing on their status apart from the fact that they are known to be endangered in practically all areas of distribution. These very vulnerable corrals demand tens of years to reach their commercial height, and should be considered endangered in all parts of the world.

The most endangered Mollusks of our waters number 20, which constitutes 1.12% of the total of the group. It is more particularly about the Cephalopodes and the Bivalves. They are essentially menaced by the antropique action (pollution, overexploitation and destruction of their habitats). It is principally about the Venerupis decussata and Cerastoderma edule, which are limited in estuaries and lagoons, as well as Callista chione, Perna perna and Mytilis sp. The first species is very exploited in the Mediterranean, the second in the Atlantic, and the mussels (Mytilus) along the two maritime facades.

The species Pinna nobilis and Ostrea edulis, which have disappeared from many points of the Mediterranean, exist still in small deposits in the Lagoon of Nador, but are subjugated to pollution and to poaching.  Another Gasteropode Mollusk, Patella ferruginea, equally endangered in the Mediterranean, is becoming more and rarer on our rocky coasts.

Among the most endangered Crustaceans, figuring 23 species: Aristeomorpha foliacea, Aristeus antennatus, Plesiopenaeus edwardsianus, Aristeus varidans, Crangon crongon, Palaemon serratus, Heterocarpus ensifer, Parapandalus narval, Plesionika martia, Solenocera membranacea, Parapenaeus longirostris, Penaeopsis serratus, Penaeus kerathurus, penaeus notialis, Sicyonia galeata, Scyllarides latus, Scyllarus arctus, Homarus gammarus, Nephrops norvegicus, Palinurus elephas, Palinurus mauritanicus, Palinurus regius.

The majority of species are shrimp, but, there are also ‘Homard’, ‘les Cigales de mer’, crayfish and prawn, which begin to be rarer on our coasts, especially in the northern zone of the Kingdom. One must perhaps add to this list the crab Cancer pagurus, very appreciated by European consumers. The crab exists in our country, though rare and its status is practically unknown. The most endangered group is certainly the Pisces, a group which plays a strategic role in the Moroccan economy and a crucial ecological role in the equilibrium of the marine ecosystem. A great number of species (close to 90) are exploited as much by coastal ships and high Moroccan seas as by those of other countries connected to Morocco by fishing treaties (The European Union, Russia, Japan, etc...). Among these fish, there are essentially sardines, ‘sardinelle’, anchovies, ‘chinchard’, ‘les thonides’, “les scobrides, ‘merlu’, ‘pageot’, red mullet, etc... which constitute the essential of the fishing.  Other species like ‘aloses’ (Alosa alosa, Alosa falax) and eel (Anguilla anguilla), amphihaline species, suffer other types of dangers. The ‘aloses’ have been affected by pollution (in particular in the principal sites of the Oued Sebou and Oued Bou Regreg), but also by the construction of hydrolic openings (dams) that have considerably lessened the arrival of freshwater in the estuaries, as well as by the intense pressure by fishers on the very valued species in Morocco.  As for eel, added to these anthropic actions, it is subjected to an anarchical overexploitation of its larval stage (‘civelle’) which are of very high market demand.

All the six species of marine turtles that can be encountered on the Moroccan coasts are endangered, just as on the world scale. The most common species in Morocco, the Caouanne turtle (Caretta caretta), is often accidentally pulled out in the nets of fishermen. For example, the only given statistics which exist on this species and which dates from 1991 shows that in only one year, 3581 of these species were pulled out on the Mediterranean facade of our country. The Turtle-luth (Dermochelys coriacea) is equally endangered by accidental fishing, especially on the Saharan coasts of Morocco. In the south of Morocco and in Mauritania, another species, the green turtle (Chelonia mydas), is very well liked by the local population, which could hinder the maintainance of this population if rational measures of exploitation are not instituted. Other species, like the overlapping Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata), the Kemp turtle (Lepidochelys kempi) and the olivace Turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea), are all very rare in our region.

The majority of marine Mammals which can be found along the Moroccan coast (21 species), of which the numerous Odontocetes, all the Mysticetes and the Pinnipede (Monachus monachus), are much endangered on our coasts, just as on the world scale. Two of these Mammals, the blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus) and the ‘franche’ Whale (Balaena glacialis), have completely disappeared from our waters, the latter having been in the Bay of Cintra (Saharan coast at the extreme south of Morocco) an appropriate place for its reproduction and more particularly the place where it gave birth. The Jubarte (Megaptera novaengliae), equally very endangered at the world scale, has become extremely rare on our coasts, even though the Moroccan Atlantic waters are considered its route of migration.

The monk Seal (Monachus monachus) has practically disappeared from all the Mediterranean facade of the country and from all the northern part of the Atlantic facade to be confined in a very restricted zone on the Saharan coast called “The coast of seals.”  Among the causes for this dramatic regression are the massacres of the Saharan population of this species by the Portugueese, accidental fishing, the overexploitation of halieutic ressources constituting its food, the destruction of its sites of reproduction. There are also some natural causes like the collapse of certain of the caves that served as shelters for this species, or, in June 1997, the poisoning and the death of sixty of them by colored waters.

The hump-backed Dolphin (Sousa teuszii), found recently on our southern coasts (1990) is essentially menaced because of weak strength at the regional and world scale but, also, because its repartition area is very restricted.

The other Cetaces of Morocco are essentially menaced by the accidental capture and by rarefaction following an overexploitation of halieutic ressources.

Endemic species

Many systematic groups have endemic representatives in our country: Spongidae, Coelenterata, polychetes Annelida, Sipuncula, Bryozoa, Brachiopodes, Mollusca, Echinoderata, Chaetognatha, Urocordata and Pisces.

The Spongidae are constituted by 12 endemic species of the ibero-Moroccan species (the total of endemism at 3.3%), discovered mostly over nine genuses (Petrosia, Bubaropsis, Gellius, Halicometes, Histodermion, Polymastia, Quasilina, Oceanapia and Raspailia).

The Coelenterata are represented by 8 endemic species (the endemic total at 1.83%), of which the majority has not been discovered until recently in the waters of the Moroccan region, and which are part of the genuses Plumularia, Halecium, Asterosmilia, Placotrochides, Stylaster and Crypthelia.

Polymastia Annelidas are counted at 9 endemic species (endemic total at 2.05%) belonging to the genuses Lysippe, Melinna, Mastobranchus, Ambo, Cirrinereis, Nereis and Panousea. The two recently discovered species in Moroccan waters respectively in 1995 and 1996 are Tharyx retieri and Diopatra marocensis.

The Arthropods are counted at 58 endemic species (endemic total at 1.88%) representing for them alone the quarter of the total of endemic species, and belonging generally either to the very little studied groups on the scale of Morocco, or to little or not at all studied regions (estuaries and Saharan region). They are species belonging to the genuses Danielopolina, Eupolycope, Hemicytherura, Leptocythere, Loxoconcha, Neocytherideis, Ruggiera, Semicytherura, Trachyleberis, Junctichela, Sarsiella, Rutiderma, Euphilomedes, Philomedes, Pseudophilimedes, Parastenope, Synasterope, Balanus, Lithoglypptes, Diastylis, Campylaspis, Makrokylindrus, Apseudes, Cyathura, Eurydice, Lakenosphaera, Pentidotea, Parachiridotea, Ganthesia, Arcturella, Astacilla, Gnathia, Unciola, Maeropsis, Euonyx, Socarnopsis, Liropus, Asthenognatus, Phyllactella, Lilljeborgia, Sympleustes and Podoceropsis.

The Sipunculas are counted at two under-species (Golfingia abyssorum punctata and G. rugosa mauritaniense) endemic to the Moroccacn region, though the Chaetognathes, the Brachiopods, the Echiuriens and the Pisces are each represented by one endemic species (respective endemic total of 3.44%; 0.2%; 11.11% and 0.08%).

The Urocordata are counted at 18 endemic species (endemic total at 15.78%) belonging to the genuses Molgula, Psilotyela, Polycarpa, Styela, Polycitor, Eudistmoa, Liouvillea, Ypsilocarpa, Synoicum, Trididemnum, Didemnum, and Aplidium. With the Echinodermatas, the endemic total is at 6%. They are species belonging to the genuses Hyphalaster, Luidia, Zoroaster, Ophiacantha, Antedon, Gephyrocrinus, Pentacrinus, Neomorphaster, Ophiernus and Ophiomitrella.

The faunistic group which shows the greatest number of endemic forms in the Moroccan region is the Mollusks who, with 84 known species, represents a little more than the third of the total of endemic species; the endemic total remains nonetheless relatively small (5.2%). The majority of these species come from the Saharan region that is not yet entirely explored, and belong to the genuses Cerithium, Actaeopyramis, Haminaea, Runcina, Aplysia, Berthellina, Aglaja, Limopsis, Crenella, Dentalium, Arca, Nesis, Abra, Cuspidaria, Pholadomya, Verticordia, Donovania, Anura, Turbonilla, Calliostoma, Monodonta, Doto, Gibbula, Solariella, Cerithiopsis, Cyclostrema, Cymbium, Turris, Cythara, Thesbia, Odostomia, Eulimella, Fissurella, Fussus, Hydrobia, Marginella, Persicula, Nassa, Ringicula, Cingula, Rissoa, Murex, Placida, Tornatina, Tritonalia, Trophon, Ercolonia, Styliger, Chromodoris, Bermudella, Favorinus, Vexillum, Euthria, Mytilimeria and Tambja.

Finally, the Bryozoaires are counted at about thirty endemic species belonging to the genuses Idmonea, Entalophoroecia, Tubilipora, Cellarina, Cellaria, Cellepora, Costozzia, Schismopora, Puellina, Spiralaria, Hippodiplosia, Schizomavella, Schizoporella, Schizellozoon, Codonella, Smittina, Porella, Microporella, Holoporella, Electra, Adeonellopsis, Schizotheca, Acanthodesia, Rigionula and Peristomella.

In conclusion, with an endemic total of 3.31%, Morocco is among the countries which have a normal endemic percentage, but this endemic amount should, in principal, be more elevated for two reasons: numerous sectors of the Moroccan coasts are still unexplored; the real prospective surface is considerably weaker than that one used for the calculation of this indication.