Objective: To improve food security and resilience to shocks through strengthened and sustainable livelihoods within the fisheries sector of Somalia.

Donor: Norway 

Contribution: USD 5 321 597

Key partners: Federal, Puntland and Somaliland Ministries of Fisheries and Marine Resources (MFMRs).

Target benficiaries: 736 beneficiaries.

Target areas: Puntland, Somaliland and south-central Somalia.

Activities implemented: 

• Prepared draft federal-level Fisheries Strategic Plan and Fisheries Policy and translated the new federal fisheries law passed in 2015.
• Supported international meetings in the Seychelles, Addis Ababa and Mogadishu to help stakeholders reach an agreement on the establishment of a federal-level Fisheries Authority.
• Assisted the Federal Government to become an active member and/or signatory to the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission, FISH-i Africa and the Agreement on Port State Measures Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing.
• Undertook assessments and studies on the feasibility of improvements to fisheries infrastructure in Berbera, Mogadishu and Kismayo ports.
• Rehabilitated Berbera jetty, benefiting 324 registered fishers, unregistered fishers and businesses.
• Provided hands-on training to 34 boatbuilding artisans in Berbera, Bossaso and Mogadishu through full involvement in the process of mould development and the construction of 16 boats.
• Tested and confirmed the newly designed vessels compliance with International Maritime Organization and FAO safety standards and requirements.
• Conducted fishing trials and a training programme through a Master Fisher with the Bossaso and Berbera fishers’ associations, improving boat handling and fish catch of over 30 fishers.
• Trained an additional 54 local fishers on the use of the new vessels and an additional 170 fishers on drop-lining, enabling them to benefit from fish aggregating devices.
• Enhanced MFMR capacity in fisheries regulation with 30 federal and state MFMR staff trained on Standards of Training Safety and Watch-keeping, Port Inspections and as Fisheries Observers.
• Provided training on a new fish drying technique to 94 people (including 12 youth, 47 IDPs, four MFMR staff, four fishers’ association members, four fishers and 23 traders).

Impact: 

• Enhanced Somalia’s capacity to contribute to preventing illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing through policy support, capacity building and joining international commissions.
• Improved the longer-term efficiency of fishers, increasing their revenue, reducing fuel expenses, as well as improving safety at sea through the construction of newly designed boats.
• Enhanced local capacity to build safe, efficient boats according to international standards and improving the availability of such vessels in Somalia.
• Promoted fish consumption and demand through the development of and training in a very low-cost way of processing a dried fish product of high nutritional value and with potential for income generation.