Impacts of Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing on Developing Countries: The Case of Somalia

Abstract

Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing is recognized as global phenomenon and also a major obstacle to achieved sustainable fisheries. The consequences of IUU fishing cost up to $23 billion a year. Developing countries are excessively influenced by this illegal business, to a limited extent because of an absence of monitoring, control and surveillance (MCS) capacity within their sovereign jurisdiction. It represents a remarkable loss of revenue, where dependence on fisheries for food, livelihoods and revenue is high. Somalia, having the longest coastline in Africa is badly affected by this IUU. Hence, this research analyses the impacts of IUU fishing to Somalia. It examines the root causes of the problem and how it has affected the whole nation and its people, as well as and how the government and regional administrations are putting efforts on fighting against it. This research discusses the baseline against which successful action to combat illegal fishing can be judged. Document study and interview are the main data collection methods in this research.