An Cosantóir

www.military.ie the defence forces magazine | 19 The report shows that IUU vessels catch over 132,000 metric tons of fish each year, while the Somali artisanal fleet catches only 40,000 metric tons, and that they have been a problem for decades. During the 1990s, IUU fishing was cited as a justification for pirate attacks in Somali waters, and though Somali pirates quickly shifted their focus toward more lucrative vessels, such as cargo ships and oil tankers, piracy appears to have caused many foreign fishing vessels to leave the area during the mid-2000s. Recently, however, this trend has reversed. According to John Steed, Secure Fisheries Regional Manager for the Horn of Africa: "Illegal fishing was the pretext used by criminal gangs to shift from protectionism to armed robbery and piracy. Now the situation is back where it was, with large numbers of foreign vessels fishing in Somali waters again – and there is a real danger of the whole piracy cycle start- ing all over again." The report has proven correct. Abdiqani Hassan of Reuters news agency recently reported that "a volatile build-up of weap- ons and resentment along the northern Somali coast culminated in the hijack of an oil freighter in March 2017, the first such seizure since 2012." Locals say the attacks will continue and blame their govern- ment in the semi-autonomous Puntland region for granting foreigners permits to fish in Somali waters. "Since the fish are drained by foreigners, my colleagues plan to go into the ocean to hijack other ships. We have no government to speak on our behalf," said fisherman Mohamed Ismail. The maritime policing situation also varies greatly from place to place within the country. Somaliland has a coast guard and some basic boats for day patrolling but they lack overnighting or stay- at-sea capabilities. In Bosaso maritime or port police only patrol the immediate area of the port in small skiffs, but the Puntland Maritime Police Force, who are probably the most developed maritime secu- rity agency, are supported directly by the Puntland president and funded directly by the UAE. They have decent boats and facilities and have been known to carry out search-and-rescue, fisheries enforcement, and migration interdiction. They are also directly involved in the fight against Al Shabaab and, increasingly frequently, Daesh (ISIS), who have developed a stronghold in the mountains above Bosaso. Glamudug has a coast guard that basically consists of a militia with a couple of boats. Their big focus is illegal fishing, mainly against yemini and Iranian vessels. They arrest a lot of fishing boats and demand fines from them. In Mogadishu the maritime police are in operation but their jurisdiction only extends 12 miles from shore. While the country had a navy in the days of the USSR, and they still have an admiral and two vice-admirals, they have no structure currently in place apart from a couple of boats given to them by Turkey. The international community are telling Somalia that it doesn't need a navy but instead should develop a coast guard because that's what you need. EUCAP are talking to states who might be willing to potential donor states and the EU and Mr Reynolds says they are telling them: "'We can only do the training and mentoring, we need some- one else to buy the boats, to build the bases and the piers.' "However, buying the ships and building infrastructure is only one part of the job. The hardest part is the ability to maintain a ship at sea, to maintain its engines, to train crews. Then you need an officer corps who can manage the organisation and a mainte- nance corps to keep it running." I finished by asking Mr Reynolds if he felt the project can suc- ceed and how the Somalis he works with view it. His answer was swift and positive: "Yes, it can, and absolutely they want this to work. They have an ambition for their country. I have talked to their Deputy Prime Minister and many others and they all say exactly the same thing, that the sea is their future."

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