FISHING SECTOR IN SOMALIA

Introduction

Fishing industry: is any industry or activity concerned with taking, culturing, processing, preserving, storing, transporting, marketing or selling fish or fish products.

Fishery economics deals with: The production, distribution, and consumption of fish and seafood and all financial aspects of the fishing and seafood industry (including aquatic life in fresh water).

The World Bank supports Africa’s commitment to invest in sustainable fisheries as a way to build the resilience and improve the livelihoods of coastal communities. Since 2005, the Africa Program for Fisheries has focused on sustainable use of the marine resources, governance of the sector and deep engagement with coastal communities. Transformative interventions are giving new hope to coastal communities.

Fisheries play significant social and nutritional roles in Africa. The sector contributes to food and nutrition security, and provides jobs, in particular for coastal populations, which are often among the poorest and most vulnerable. Fisheries contribute to Africa’s economy. Currently, fisheries and aquaculture directly contribute $24 billion to the African economy, representing 1.3% of the total African GDP in 2011. The sector provides employment to over 12 million people (58% in the fishing and 42% in the processing sector).

Many marine resources are not targeted for local markets but exported as raw materials, intermediates or final products, and the demand for goods and services originating in the oceans is likely to increase as populations continue to grow.

FISHING SECTOR IN SOMALIA

The Somali marine ecosystem is rich in a diversity of living resources. Dynamic oceanographic features attract migratory tuna, billfishes, and sharks. Warm tropical waters nurture coral reef systems that are home to hundreds of species of marine life, and highly productive open waters support schooling pelagic creatures such as sardines and squid

The country's 3,333 km (2,071.03 miles) of coastline, 12 NM territorial water, 24 NM contiguous zone, 200 NM exclusive economic zones (EEZ) and 350 NM continental shelf generates only $135 million per year which is 2% of our GDP. Somalia’s Production potentiality in ocean is over 800,000 Tonnes yearly.

The Chinese Offshore Fishing Association (COFA), was the only entity to express interest in licenses. The licensed vessels target tuna and tuna-like species using long line gear, without causing environmental damage to the habitat and damaging demersal structures such as coral reefs. Longline operations can generate bycatch, including sharks, marine turtles and other pelagic fish.

The present government allowed 31 Chinese long line vessels to fish for “tuna and tuna-like species” for one year, but automatically renewed fishing licenses for $1,025,750 each year ($2.810/day).

Arica Digest said “It will only take Chinese vessels 5 years and you will never see fish again in Somali or Madagascar waters. Then you can eat the paper money Chinese paid your government.”

Non-governmental organization, the Global Fishing Watch, released a report that indicated that roughly 200 Iranian fishing boats operating illegally had been detected in waters of Somalia and Yemen.

Somalia marine resource is facing illegal fishing and overfishing at the same time. Somalia waters have high fisheries of production potential, but the sustainability of those fisheries is compromised by the presence of foreign fishing vessels, many of them are fishing illegally and the licensed ones are overfished. Many foreign vessels directly compete for fish, reducing fish populations and destroying marine habitat through bottom trawling or "dragging" and other illegal Fishing Techniques like Blast fishing or dynamite fishing. Foreign fishing has increased more than twenty-fold since 1981, and the most rapid increase occurred during the 1990s after the collapse of the Federal government and ensuing civil war. As estimate foreign fishing vessels caught 92,500 MT of fish in 2014, almost twice that caught by the Somali domestic fleet. Iran (48%) and Yemen (31%) accounted for the vast majority of foreign fish catch in the most recent year of analysis.

Foreign fishing and domestic fishing areas