The stock of sardine off the coast of Morocco and Mauritania is healthy. Biomass is above the desired level, and fishing pressure remains within sustainable limits.
The fishery using purse seines has little bycatch and causes virtually no damage to the seabed. Discards are low, although additional mortality can occur as a result of slipping. The fishery using midwater otter trawls may catch marine mammals as bycatch, but the extent of this is insufficiently known. Discards are likely to be low, and the seabed is hardly affected. CO₂ emissions are low for both fishing methods. The risk of lost fishing gear is low for purse seines but higher for midwater otter trawls. Lost nets are an important problem in Moroccan waters.
Management is considered partly effective. Scientific advice is sound, but implementation and enforcement remain inadequate, particularly in Mauritania. Cooperation between the two countries and stakeholder involvement could also be improved. There is insufficient information to determine the impacts of the fishery on local communities. Several fisheries participate in a FIP, but none are MSC-certified.