Danish shipowner Per Gullestrup had been through the trauma of negotiating the release of his vessel and crew hijacked by Somali pirates when he decided to tackle the problem at its source by developing alternative opportunities for local communities. He established Fair Fishing, a nonprofit organization aimed at creating jobs, driving economic growth and improving nutrition and food security, all through fishing. War-torn Somalia wasn’t an option, so he started operations in Somaliland in 2011, with support from its stable government.
Unlike Somalia, Somaliland has no history of fishing outside the small coastal city of Berbera. But seven years after Gullestrup’s decision, Fair Fishing isn’t alone. The self-declared state that isn’t recognized as an independent entity internationally is emerging as the unlikely home of a fishing industry that’s generating jobs, drawing back Somalilanders who had left for other countries, empowering women and changing diets.
Meanwhile, climate change is making the shift to fishing even more urgent. Livestock contributes more than 30 percent to Somaliland’s GDP. But, more frequent droughts, including one in 2017 that killed more than half of Somaliland’s goats, sheep and camels, are devastating the economy and threatening the survival of pastoral families.
We need to shift from livestock to fisheries, says Mubarik Ibrahim, Somaliland’s director general of planning and national development. We have more than 500 miles of coastline and small fishing communities that we can develop. We want to send fish to the rest of the world.
© OZY 2019