MOGADISHU (Halbeeg News) – Somalia has signed fishing licenses with the China Overseas Fisheries Association (COFA) in Mogadishu.
In a ceremony held in Mogadishu, Somali minister for fisheries, Abdullahi Bidhan has granted fishing licenses to members from COFA.
Speaking at the ceremony, minister Bidhan commended the licensing of more foreign trawlers, saying that the move would ensure the resources exploited legally.
“Today we launched this process of granting a fishing license. The licenses allow Tuna fishing, and this shows that Somalia issues licenses through the legal process,” he said.
The move comes barely five months after Somalia exported fish to neighbouring Kenya.
For years there had been illegal fishing that dominated the horn of African countries.
Up to 2.4 million tones of fish have been caught by foreign fleets off Somali waters in the past three decades, according to last year research conducted by scientists in a research programme.
Destructive fishing practices, illegal fishing, insecurity caused by conflict, underdeveloped infrastructure and competition from foreign fishing boats threaten the long-term sustainability of Somali fisheries.
Lack of proper monitoring and control has allowed foreign industrial vessels to exploit Somali marine resources or operate under dubious licenses over the years.
Some local fishermen have gone missing while the trawlers torture others by spraying boiling water.
Since the collapse of the Somali government in 1991, Somalis were struggling to protect their fishery resources, but due to the lack of strong marine forces, the illegal fishing went out of hand.
Discussion about this post