(ERGO) – Barqad Ali Mahamed spent his entire life herding livestock in the countryside until this year, when he began fishing off the coast of El-hur village in central Somalia’s Mudug region, working for pay on a boat owned by a local businessman.
He and a team of five other men go out to sea four times a week, catching fish and lobsters. Since January, he has been earning $300 per month, which is enough to keep his family of nine stable after years of unpredictable living in the drought-hit rural area.
“We were rural people and when our livestock died, life became hard. For 24 hours, we might cook once or not at all,” Barqad told Radio Ergo.
Now he can buy enough water for the family to store and his children eat regularly. He can even afford to buy them clothes when needed. The change has given him new hope after years of hardship in pastoralism.
“I had no idea about fishing when I started. A group of fishermen helped me learn how to cast nets, use a spear, pull lines, board a boat, and survive at sea if there’s an accident,” he explained.
After a month of being shown the ropes, he now spends up to 12 hours at a time away at sea earning a living in a new way.
“I would prefer to return to pastoralism,” he admitted. “It was my favourite way of life. But now I can save part of what I earn each month to buy new livestock when I have enough.”
Between 2021 and 2022, he lost 210 goats to drought and moved first to Goryale village and then to El-hur in search of income.
“Life changed completely when I heard about this sea work,” he said. “This is where I found a solution.”
Hundreds of men who lost their livestock to drought have also turned to fishing since the start of this year, adding to those who had already done so earlier.
They fish along the coast of Hobyo, Harardhere, and other areas, according to Galmudug’s Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources.
Another of the new converts to fishing is Mahamed Muse Ilmi, 55, who fishes in Gaan village, 18 kilometres from Haradhere. He boards a boat in the evening and returns by dawn, earning $9 a day to support his family of seven.
“We now eat three meals a day,” Mahamed said. “We had nothing before. We lived on livestock, and our animals died. There was no other option so I buckled down and took this job.”
Mahamed lost his last 45 animals to drought in mid-2024 and had to rely on irregular help from relatives. He didn’t know how to fish before this year.
“My relatives taught me – they’ve been doing this for years and they showed me how to do it.
“This life is difficult, and the sea is dangerous, but at least I am producing something now whereas before I had nothing.”
Mahamed left his wife and children behind in Barag-Ismail village, 45 kilometres away, because he has no house for them to live at the coast. He sends money and food to support them.
He regrets that training and fishing equipment are not available, curtailing his advancement towards a better income.
“I don’t own any of the equipment I use,” he said. “I’m still working for someone else. If we could get our own gear, we could move forward.
“My plan is to improve my skills and learn more from the sea. If I can get my own equipment, I’ll be able to grow in this living.”
The fisheries ministry acknowledged the level of displaced pastoralists turning to fishing and that for men like Barqad and Mahamed, the sea is both a lifeline and a gamble.
Director of the ministry, Mahamed Hasan Ahmed, told Radio Ergo that safety was a concern.
“There are dangers on the open sea,” he said. “Rain, storms, big waves, and if someone doesn’t know how to swim or handle a boat, they risk their life.”
He added that the ministry planned to work with aid organisations to provide formal training and equipment for these new fishermen.
“They must be professionally and materially prepared,” he said. “We cannot allow them to face the sea untrained.”
