Mereja Forum

[AbyssiniaLady]

And since 1990, the European Union coerced Somalis to contribute $10 billion to the European economy, For this coerced contributions reason, the European Council in november 2018 extended operation atalanta counter piracy mandate that has expired 2018 until December 2020 and has the purpose of protecting European fishing vessels in Somali waters.

A screenshot from the official website of the European Union.






That's right, European bandits vessels are stationary for twelve months in Somali waters!!!

Industrial fishing boats are required to carry an automatic identification system (AIS), which broadcasts information about a ship’s location, size, and nationality. Looking at four years of satellite AIS signals in African waters, the researchers saw where each ship fished and for how long.

They found that from 2012 to 2016, industrial vessels in African waters spent nearly six percent of their time illegally fishing in protected artisanal zones. That figure soared for nations that lack enforcement resources, like Somalia, where a staggering 93 percent of industrial fishing occurred in areas reserved for small-scale fishers. (That is very close to the shoreline)

Industrial ships flying African flags—particularly from Ghana—were the worst offenders, followed by ships from South Korea, the European Union, and China.

Sources
Hakai Coastal Science And Societies
https://www.hakaimagazine.com/news/the- ... l-fishers/



The European Union is marking 12 years of counter piracy naval operations off the coast of Somalia protecting their illegal fishing vessels in Somalia!!!

[AbyssiniaLady]

Spanish tuna fleet requests mission against piracy extension in Somali waters.
Wednesday, July 26, 2017, 22:30 (GMT + 9)


(The Spanish tuna fishing boat Alakrana sails between two accompanying Spanish warships in Somali waters)

Through the Ministry of Defense, the organizations representing the Spanish tuna fleet, OPAGAC and ANABAC, along with the shipowners’ association CEPESCA, are exercising pressure for the European Union to extend the Atalanta operation against piracy in the waters of the Indian Ocean beyond 2018.

The shipowners argue that boarding attempts have increased this year, with "notorious" hijacking such as the case of the Panamanian oil tanker Aris 13, which occurred a few months ago in the same waters where the Basque tuna vessel Alakrana was hijacked in 2009.

The tuna fleet considers that these incidents reveal that "the pirates are back in action and that they have interpreted that the security measures have relaxed", reason why they ask for the mission to be strengthened.

CEPESCA general secretary Javier Garat acknowledges that there has been a significant decline in attacks during the last five years but argues that "the danger remains because piracy itself is latent and waiting to wake up at any time".

"For this reason, we have to continue strengthening and seeking measures to counteract its harmful effects," he emphasized.

OPAGAC director Julio Morón and ANABAC managing director Juan Pablo Rodríguez Sahagún thanked the "support of the armed forces to the Spanish fishing sector in the framework of Atalanta operation and their willingness to defend its continuity in the EU" beyond December 2017.

[AbyssiniaLady]

Asian thieves.

Thailand tuna longliners were operating in the Indian Ocean from 2000 to 2006; data from their logbooks displayed important information of their fishing operation.

Total annual catches during the period were: 384.90, 390.93, 93.57, 252.48, 272.41, 280.12 and414.44 tonnes, with a value of 2, 1.84, 0.46, 1.16, 1.58, 0.98 and 2.42 million USD, respectively. Fishing grounds were in four zones namely: the Bay of Bengal, the west coast of Indonesia, Somalia and the southern part of the Indian Ocean.

The highest catch rate was found in Somalia (1.3 fish/100 hooks), followed by the west coast of Indonesia (1.2 fish/100 hooks) and the southern part of the Indian Ocean (1.0 fish/ 100 hooks). The lowest catch rate was reported in the Bay of Bengal (0.7 fish/100 hooks), which compared to other fishing grounds. The major catch species were bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus), yellowfin tuna (T. albacares), albacore tuna (T. alalunga), and swordfish and other large pelagic species comprising 36.64, 35.77, 20.28 and 7.31% of the total seven-year catch.

Yellowfin tuna occurred in all fishing grounds. However, the highest abundance was found in Somalia while the lowest numbers were found in the Bay of Bengal, yellowfin, skipjack andbigeye tuna move to the waters of Somalia to feed on the abundant food sources in the Somali upwelling.

Thailand's Department of Fisheries part of the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives
https://www4.fisheries.go.th/index.php/dof_en

A juvenile whale shark gets stranded on the beach in Mogadishu.


Somalia Exclusive Economic Zone is rich in fishery resources.