Spain-Morocco fishing dispute hits Barbate town

Barbate, a coastal town in southern Spain, once thrived on catches from waters that belong to neighboring Morocco. The town grew into the second largest Spanish fishing port in the 1960s and developed a major canning industry. Over recent years, Morocco has leveraged fishing agreements to demand broader concessions, linking them to migration and energy issues with Spain and the European Union.

Moroccan authorities have been accused of using migrants as pressure tools against Spain, a claim echoed by Ceuta’s president Juan Jesús Vivas following a recent surge of arrivals. The Spanish government under Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has so far avoided directly blaming Morocco for the tensions, which have historical roots dating back to Morocco’s post‑Sahara annexation demands for Spanish recognition of its sovereignty.