he country with mainland Africa’s longest coastline is inviting China to its shores.
Somalia granted fishing licenses to 31 Chinese vessels to exploit tuna and tuna-like species off its coast in a bid to tap the sector for economic growth. The vessels are associated with the China Overseas Fisheries Association, a distant-water trawling group created in 2012 to promote the East Asian giant’s competitive fishing edge abroad.
Starting this month, ships will be allowed to operate for a one-year period in Somali waters, with the agreement stipulating an automatic renewal for an additional year.
Foreign fishing vessels will also not be permitted to operate between 24 nautical miles (44 kilometers) to the seaward side of the Somali baseline and the Somali baseline in order to protect small-scale fishing operations.
Upon entering or leaving Somalia’s Exclusive Economic Zone, the boats will also have to declare their positions, besides the weight of catch on board by species.
The Horn of Africa nation is especially known for its seasonally high abundance of large pelagic fish and its diverse tuna samples including the yellowfin, longtail, and bigeye tuna. Yet the sector has remained untapped, bedeviled by poor infrastructure, lack of regulation, and a culture that prizes meat from livestock over seafood.
