Fishermen in Hobyo district in Mudug region say they are suffering as prolonged storms have been preventing them from fishing.
Hussein Mohamed Jama told Radio Ergo his small fishing boats could not withstand the high waves and rough sea, so had not fished for many days.
“My family of 15 members are now facing huge hardship. They now cook every two days if they are lucky. I don’t have any other savings. In good weather I make good catches that cover the basic needs of my family and they cook three times a day. You can see from my children’s faces how life is treating us badly,” Hussein said.
Sharif Abdi Adde, who lives in Hobyo, said the cold season from December to February always took a heavy toll on incomes. “The fishing boats that went out to sea last night had no catch, and this has had a negative effect on life in the whole town which mainly depends on fishing.”
Hobyo district deputy commissioner Mohamed Ali Gure said the local fishing industry had been going through a tough time and food security was poor.
“Fishermen in villages along the coast have been facing big challenges. They don’t have alternative jobs. This year, fishermen are idle and hanging around in the market places. Our capacity to address their plight is very limited – we can’t give them better fishing gear or improve their skills. We can only provide them security and appeal to the world to help them,” he said.
Abdirzack Mohamed Du’ale, a fisherman, said they received solar-powered refrigerators last year from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) but would not be able to use them until the good weather came.
Fishermen said they needed assistance to feed their families.
