Abstract

Fish and fishery products are one of Morocco’s most important export products. Fish parasitism is a natural worldwide phenomenon. Fish parasites have a very wide distribution and are found in both the northern and the southern hemispheres of the globe. The present study aimed to assess parasitic infestation in fishery products by analyzing notifications available in the European rapid alert system for food and feed. The analysis involved 663 notifications registered from 2001 to 2019 on the grounds of parasitic infestation. For Morocco, 651 notifications concerning the different exported food products were analyzed. Among the 663 notifications for the presence of parasites, 161 (24.3%) were border rejections. A total number of 20 countries have been detected with the presence of parasites in their exported fish and fish products. The main fish species concerned with this hazard were Hake (26%), Silver Scabbardfish (10.5%), and Angler (9.3%). In Morocco, among the 651 notifications, 373 concerned with seafood (57.2%). The number of border rejections of fishery products was 220 that is 33.8% of overall notifications. Fish and fish products category are the most concerned with 170 rejections (26.1%), with 64 notifications due to the presence of parasites (37.6%). The Silver Scabbardfish was the species most affected by parasite infestations (23.5%), followed by European Anchovy (12.5%) and Swordfish (10.9%). In conclusion, the nematode Anisakis is the most common parasite in fish infestation while the plerocercoïd larvae of the Cestoda Gymnorhynchus gigas seems to have a predilection to infest the Atlantic Pomfret (Brama brama).