The present study aimed at studying ecological interaction between a fish farm cages located in M’diq bay, in western Moroccan Mediterranean coast, and its local environment. It was carried out in 2013 and 2016 through seabed analysis in terms of organic matter and some nutrients parameters such as Nitrogen and Phosphorus, as well as through monitoring macro-fauna assemblages. The results showed recorded values relatively stable in three years’ interval and have a well-integrated fish farming activity within its ecosystem. Sediment was sandy to sandy shelly types and macro-benthic fauna were composed of six groups, Gastropods, Bivalves, Scaphopoda, Amphipods, Nematoda and Polychaeta. Organic matter and Total Organic Carbon were respectively less than 3.2% and 1.87% and very low comparing with others Mediterranean fish farms sites. Estimation of Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Carbon potential releases of M’diq fish farm gave low data related to its production capacity not exceeding 200 tons by year. Influenced with open sea location and high current state, dispersion pattern of these fish farm discharges seemed to play a key role in keeping lower values. ANOVA analysis showed no significant difference between studied parameters in the five sampling stations comparing with the reference station both on geographical and temporal levels (seasons and years).

The present study assesses the carbon footprint of the only operating marine fish farm in Morocco. Five years of data were used to assess its carbon footprint, following ISO/TS 14067 standard, the PAS 2050 and the IPCC 2006 guidelines. The obtained carbon footprint ranged from 2.34 to 2.85 kg CO2e/kg. The emission value for 2017 is 38% lower than the highest value. Fish feed contributes most to the carbon footprint of the farm. Based on PAS 2050, the inshore cage farming product ranks in the same category as dairy products. Furthermore, the comparison showed that it is almost 67% lower than the carbon footprint of other protein production. This study evaluates some scenarios for reducing the carbon footprint of the fish farm, which can be a basis for further studies.