Topic:

Present Status of Marine Fisheries in Berbera, Somaliland

Abstract: 

The study was carried out to evaluate the marine fisheries’ status in Berbera, Somaliland in terms of fish production, fishing crafts, fishing gear, constraints and future prediction. The study was conducted using questionnaires and interviews followed by a focus group discussion (FGD), and then the data was analyzed SPSS software and excel. In the present study, the fish production of the last 5 years (2017-2021) was 1689.34 tons,1802 tons, 2058 tons, 1724.644 tons, and 1892.04 tons respectively.  Different types of fishing crafts were found such as Hantar, Volvo, Layla, Gamuur, Hadra-mout, 2000, Af-dheer, jriif (trawler) and xaawis (seiner). During the study, fishing gear was collected such as trawl nets, pursuing ne,t gillnets, cast nets, traps, lines, long lines and squid nets. The main constraints that faced the fishery sector were a lack of financial and human resources, lack of information, poor traditional fishing practices, high post-harvest losses, Very limited fishing gear suppliers and boat factories, Poor supporting infrastructure and cold chain facilities. The study may help Somalilander’s policymakers to create future fisheries policies and development as well as the organizations who work in the fishery sector.