Somalia Piracy Incident Inspires Blue Economy, Fishing Interest in Somaliland‏

Fair Fishing is a nonprofit that seeks to drive economic growth and improve nutrition and food security in Somaliland, hoping it’s a model for the region.

Mustafa Abdullahi grew up in Somaliland, the peaceful, democratic, autonomous republic that broke away from neighboring Somalia in 1991.

After selling his successful taxi business in Bristol, England, last year, Abdullahi could have taken a break from work. Instead, the 39-year-old and his business partner returned to Somaliland to start a fish distribution and retail business, called Horn Foods. It’s a cornerstone of the country’s developing fishing industry, nicknamed the Blue Economy.

‘I am always looking for the next challenge—that’s why I wanted to return,’ Abdullahi says.

He came to the right place. The tiny coastal village of Buluhaar sits at the edge of the Indian Ocean, with bountiful stocks of tuna, kingfish, and other types of fish. Yet not a single villager even knew how to fish until last year.

‘The biggest fish stocks are there, but the culture has nothing to do with the sea,’ Abdullahi explains. ‘It’s a nomadic culture; it’s all about the camels. This is hard work, but I think it will pay off.’Somaliland’s small but thriving fish sector is a tale of unintended consequences and serendipity.

In 2008, Danish ship owner Per Gullestrup’s crew was hijacked by Somali pirates and later released. Three years later, Gullestrup came up with an idea to help develop alternative livelihoods in the region. He launched Fair Fishing, a nonprofit organization, with the aim of creating jobs, driving economic growth, and improving nutrition and food security. It began in Somaliland as a model, with the support of a stable government.

Unlike Somalia, Somaliland has little history of fishing outside the small coastal city of Berbera. The bigger problem was shifting the mindset of a meat-eating society to fish. A campaign providing nutritional education, raising awareness, and changing perceptions were the first steps. Traditionally, fish was seen as an option only for those who couldn’t afford meat.