The Department of Maritime Fisheries, in collaboration with the South Atlantic Chamber of Maritime Fisheries, organised a training seminar from 16 to 18 May for about thirty artisanal fishermen's cooperatives at the Institute of Maritime Fisheries of Laâyoune. According to a press release from the organisers, this approach is part of the capacity-building programme for fishermen's cooperative managers implemented by the Directorate of Vocational Training within the framework of the Halieutis Plan, which represents the development strategy for the fishing sector in Morocco. It added that the importance given to supporting and accompanying cooperatives in the Halieutis Plan is due to the fact that they constitute a lever for the economic and social development of maritime fishing. This Halieutis Plan provides for the realisation of a certain number of flagship projects for the processing and valorisation of seafood products, led by the creation of three competitiveness clusters, namely Tangier, Agadir and Laâyoune-Dakhla, which are expected to mobilise investments of 9 billion dirhams. This seminar aimed to raise awareness among managers of the importance of sustainable management of fishery resources via artificial reefs, to ensure better use and management of infrastructure, to be informed of the progress of the CNSS generalisation programme, and to inquire about the new modifications in the draft of the new law 24/83 which governs the procedures for creating cooperatives. Throughout the three days that these training sessions lasted, the beneficiaries attended presentations on certain successful experiences in terms of maritime fishing cooperatives, as well as the presentation of the French experience in this sector. At the end of this seminar, the cooperatives were invited to formulate projects of common interest and income-generating projects using their own financial means with a view to improving the socio-economic conditions of fishermen and their families. Field visits were also carried out to certain fishing sites, namely Boujdour and Dakhla, which are considered among the most fish-rich areas of the Kingdom. Thus, the southern coastline provides 80% of the production of coastal and artisanal fleets. The production capacities of fishing are around one million tonnes each year, a good part of which is intended for industry. This sector contributes to the reduction of unemployment and, through the establishment of fishing villages, to the development of the coastal urban framework of the southern provinces of the Kingdom.