The Fisheries Data Collection Working Group was started to begin nation-wide fisheries catch data in Somalia.
The Federal Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources and the state Ministries of Fisheries in Galmudug, Jubaland, Puntland, Hirshabelle, and Southwest have joined Secure Fisheries and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization to begin nation-wide fisheries catch data collection. A pilot project funded by FAO, the Fisheries Data Collection Working Group, was launched at an inception workshop in Mogadishu held during October 26-30, 2019. The workshop was attended by 22 participants representing the Federal Government, the Regional Member States, NGOs, and academia. Over a period of five days, a team of experts trained the participants in catch data collection methodology. Workshop participants will begin collecting fisheries catch data in six fishing communities along the Somali coast over a period of three to five months.
The pilot project will:
- build technical capacity for 18 Somali fisheries officers;
- set the stage for long-term, comprehensive data collection needed for sustainable fisheries management in Somalia; and
- produce the first national estimates of fisheries catch and economic contribution since before the onset of the civil war.