Fishermen in Puntland’s coastal areas of Bari region say their future is threatened by increasing numbers of illegal foreign fishing boats using force to access the best fish.
Fishermen in Binna coastal settlement and Gumbah district called on the authorities to apprehend the illegal vessels now dominating the waters.
They said they face harassment and intimidation from armed guards hired by the foreign boats to ward off competition.
Local fisherman in Binna, Farah Jama, told Radio Ergo that 12 of his colleagues were shot and injured by armed Somali guards protecting fisahing vessels operating under fake licenses.
“We are on the brink of quitting fishing. These vessels destroyed our nets and boats. There are more than 100 of these vessels and they are endangering local fishermen and threatening our livelihoods. They are taking all the fish in our waters!” he complained.
The recently issued identify cards issued to fishermen by the authorities in collaboration with the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization were not protecting them from assault, Farah said.
One of the old fishermen in the area said he had stopped going to the sea.
“I had a boat for fishing, but it was completely destroyed by one of the foreign vessels. It also destroyed all my fishing tools including nets. If this crime is not dealt with, we can no longer go to fishing,” he said.
A young fisherman, Abdirahman, warned that many youth would end up jobless if the administration did not deal with the threat.
“We youths here don’t have any other skill to survive except fishing which we inherited from our fathers. These illegal armed guards would shoot us if we go far out in the sea, so we can’t go for fishing anymore,” he said.
The worst affected areas subjected to illegal fishing are Ras Asayr, Olog and Damo.
Puntland’s deputy minister for fisheries and marine resource, Mohamud Mohamed Ali, denied having licensed the foreign boats. He accused Somali businessmen of issuing fake licenses as well as providing the armed guards.
He said the authorities were collecting data to identify the illegal vessels and their owners.
The deputy minister said the authorities were aware of the communities’ plight and would mobilize the Puntland coastguard unit to clamp down on illegal fishing activities.
In June, Puntland President Abdiweli Ali Gas described illegal fishing as ‘a national disaster’ and said it must be stopped.
