Somalia Fisheries: Untapped Potential Held Back by Skills Shortage
Somalia is endowed with diverse and rich fisheries resources thanks to its highly productive coastal and upwelling systems. The national fisheries sector is still underdeveloped but is nevertheless very important as
it provides food, livelihood, income and employment opportunities for over 400,000 Somalis who directly or indirectly engage in various activities in the fisheries value chain and related services.1 It is also a major
source of protein for many internally displaced persons (IDPs) and other urban poor (especially those living in coastal areas) who cannot afford the basic traditional staples of meat and milk due to high inflation. At the
national level, the fisheries sector generates $135 million in value per year, which is equivalent to around two percent of gross domestic product (GDP).