Page 12 - Somalia Report

the current state of the stocks are unknown, and catch reports are unreliable, the seasonal abundance
of tuna and tuna-like species is estimated at between 120 000 and 200 000 tons (as of 1987).The
long-term sustainable development, and reduction in IUU fishing is of significant importance to the
national economy but can only be adequately tackled against a backdrop of reliable information.

Somalia has recently become a member of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission, which is responsible
for the management of regional tuna

Country Profile
Gender discrimination
There is much gender segregation in this sector with men primarily the ones involved in main fishing
activities and the women relegated to the secondary jobs such as fish processing and marketing.
The Republic of Somalia
Furthermore, the existing male dominance culture suffocates girls and women thus limiting their
contribution to the marine economy. Most women are largely illiterate. The national adult literacy
rate is 50 per cent with literacy higher for men than for women (FGS, 2019). Including women more
prominently in the fisheries sector is crucial for strengthening food security and nutrition among the
Somali population and generating employment in the sector. Generating employment in the fisheries
sector is key, especially for women. Employment rates are particularly low for women, with the 2012
Human Development Report indicating that unemployment amongst Somali women is at 75 per cent.
The National Development Plan commits to promote social justice and ends all forms of gender
discrimination in all the sectors including the marine sector (FGS, 2017) (FGS, 2019).

Target 14.4: Conserve coastal and marine areas
UN definition: By 2020, effectively regulate harvesting and end overfishing, illegal, unreported
and. unregulated fishing and destructive fishing practices and implement science-based
management plans, in. order to restore fish stocks in the shortest time feasible, at least to levels
that can produce maximum

Status:
• Proportion of fish stocks within biologically sustainable level – No data

• Degree of implementation of international instruments aiming to combat illegal, unreported
and unregulated fishing – 3 (on a scale of 1 lowest to 5 highest)

Source: (UN Stats 2019)

The opportunity
Policy, institutional and legal framework
The Somali Fisheries Development Framework 2018-2020 provides the framework for the management
of the sector. The Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources aims to enhance fisheries and marine
resources sector by creating an enabling environment for sustainable development of the fishing
economy without jeopardizing the fishing ecosystem and the coastal communities. Its core functions
as set out under the Fisheries Law include:

• Supporting the development of coastal communities
• Promoting the growth of the Blue Ocean Economy

12