(ERGO) – Ali Ahmed Muse has been able to send four of his children back to school after two years out of education with the regular income he is now making from fishing in Eyl, off the Somali coast in Puntland’s Nugal region.
He is one of hundreds of fishermen and other workers who are making their income with Netfish, a company that started operations buying, storing, and exporting fish in Eyl earlier this year.
Ali, 49, had been unemployed for the past two years because as a sole fisherman he couldn’t sell his catch. Now he has returned to the sea in his renovated boat.
“The company [Netfish] buys everything I catch,” he said. “I earn at least $40 profit from each boat load. I sell shrimp and lobsters at good prices. This income has helped my family escape the poverty we’ve lived in for so long.
“We are living the best life now and thank god we have reduced our debts, and our standard of living is high. We are now paid $1 per kilo of fish. If I work hard, I can earn $150 to $200 a day.”
Ali had struggled to provide for his family of 10 and relied on credit from local shops and often went hungry when credit was refused.
“I used to go to sea, catch fish, bring back 100 kilos but only selling 20 kilos. I would throw the rest away and incur losses because no one would buy it. The fish would rot and be eaten by animals. That money would have gone to food and clothing for my children. It wasn’t a comfortable life. But thank God, now nothing goes bad. I bring all my catch to the company, they buy it and they pay me on the spot,” he told Radio Ergo.
As well as paying the children’s $50 monthly school fees, he has cleared a $1,500 debt to local shops. He is saving at least $200 a month to cushion against future hardship.
For Ali, who has fished off the coast of Eyl for 39 years, this is the best time he’s seen.
“We are reaping the benefits of our work like never before,” said Ali, who has fished in Eyl since he was a small boy.
Another local, Hassan Qasim Bashir, who had been out of work for years, said he is now fully supporting his family of nine, with a managerial job at Netfish.
“Men and women have found work and we now have everything we need. People from the district and beyond are working here, and 90 percent of us have found hope!” he said.
Hassan had stopped fishing because he couldn’t sell his catch. He worked in meat processing at one point, but for two years he only found casual labour in town, earning $5-$7 a day that was barely enough to live on.
“My family lived in extreme poverty. We accumulated more than $1,000 in debt that I just finished paying off this month. That burden is gone,” said Hassan, who is earning $400 a month working across several departments.
“Sometimes I manage hygiene, sometimes I assist in production. This money has made a big difference. I was once a man who couldn’t pay bills or take care of his family,” he said.
He plans to repair and relaunch his fishing boat that he abandoned long ago, aiming to
Increase is income.
Netfish representative, Abdi Jama, said they chose to open up in Eyl because of its long coastline and high fish production.
“We came here because the people of Eyl needed a market for their fish. We buy fish in bulk, usually buying everything the fishermen bring in, paying them $1 per kilo,” he said.
The company has created jobs for fishermen, as well as for transporters and other workers who move fish to Garowe, Qardho, and Bosaso.
“We give priority to those most in need. This company is helping fishermen return to the sea and giving jobs to people who had none,” Abdi Jama said.
