Essaouira was known as the "port of Timbuktu" because most African products for export ended up there, including slaves (children of Bambara, in the gnaoua mythology). Sultan Ben Abdellah promoted free trade policies by reducing customs and encouraging the settlement of rich merchants and Jews to handle trade with Christians. A quarter for foreign merchants was also established.

Today Morocco is the number one exporter of tinned sardines in the world. Essaouira is the third largest port in Morocco for sardine fishing. There are approximately 42 trawlers, 21 sardine boats and 420 other fishing crafts.

The cats that live at the port in Essaouira are well fed as are the seagulls (the seagulls seem to fear nothing from the cats as the cats are so well feed with fish that they seem to have no interest in eating seagulls). The white cat sitting on the fishing nets washing his paws had just finished of a sardine for lunch.