Somalia bans international fishing vessels off its coast
Somalia has banned international fishing vessels in its waters, as part of a new effort to stop overfishing in the Indian Ocean region.
The Ministry of Fisheries and Blue Economy Somalia has said in a statement that ships will no longer be allowed to fish without permission due to the great damage caused during fishing.
The ministry said any violation of this regulation may be subject to fines, imprisonment, confiscation of fish products obtained, and confiscation of fishing equipment.
Somalia has the longest coastline in Africa and often its fish have been caught illegally, due to the collapse of the country's security system after the civil war started in 1991.
Somalia is concerned that overfishing is damaging the marine environment and reducing fish populations. In addition, the investigation revealed that some rich countries were also dumping waste on the coast of Somalia. However, there will be challenges in implementing the ban because the breakaway region of Somaliland that has declared independence and the autonomous authority of Puntland issues fishing licenses to international organizations without notifying the central government in Mogadishu.
The Somali government is also concerned that the US-led NATO naval forces that claim to fight piracy have taken little action in stopping illegal fishing vessels.
