Puntland State seizes foreign trawlers in weeklong crackdown on illegal fishing
BOSASO, Somalia — Puntland State authorities said Thursday that their maritime police have rounded up several foreign fishing vessels and support boats in a weeklong operation aimed at stamping out illegal fishing off Somalia’s northeastern coast — a flashpoint that has long fuelled tensions between local communities and foreign fleets.
- Advertisement -
Multiple vessels detained, crews moved to Bosaso
The Puntland State Maritime Police Force (PMPF), working with the regional Ministry of Finance and the Puntland State Tax Enforcement Force, said three Yemeni-owned boats and one Iranian-owned vessel were seized, along with three smaller support craft. A total of 45 foreign crew members were reported to be on board the detained vessels; some were already moved to the port city of Bosaso to face judicial proceedings.
Two Yemeni-owned vessels have already appeared before the Baargaal District Court, which imposed fines and other penalties under Puntland State’s anti-illegal fishing laws, according to a ministry statement. The statement warned that anyone — Somali or foreign — found breaching the rules would face “strong legal action,” and that those who resist or try to use armed militias to disrupt enforcement will be prosecuted under Puntland State security laws.
“We will not allow our waters to be plundered,” a senior official with the Puntland State Ministry of Finance said in the statement. “These operations protect the livelihoods of our fishermen and the future of our coastal communities.” The official declined to give further details to reporters.
Fishermen say the losses are generational
On the wharf in Bosaso, 38-year-old fisherman Abdi Hassan watched navy launches come and go and spoke quietly about dwindling catches. “For a long time rich trawlers come at night, they take everything,” he said. “My father taught me how to fish here. Now we leave the shore at dawn and return with half the fish. How will my children live?”
Locals and aid groups have long linked the increase of large foreign vessels — often using purse seines and bottom trawlers — to falling stocks of tuna and reef fish, which traditionally sustained small-scale coastal fishing communities. The loss of catches has eroded incomes and driven some young men toward risky work, including smuggling and, in past decades, piracy.
Where local enforcement meets geopolitics
Puntland State is an autonomous region with its own security and judicial apparatus; it has frequently taken direct action against foreign fishing operations, arguing that Somalia’s central government lacks the capacity to police vast territorial waters. That raises sensitive questions about maritime jurisdiction and international diplomacy when vessels from Yemen and Iran are involved.
International law grants coastal states rights to manage fisheries in their Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ), but enforcing those rules requires patrol vessels, surveillance and legal capacity — all scarce in Somalia after decades of state collapse and conflict. In recent years, regional administrations such as Puntland State have invested in local maritime forces to fill the gap.
“Enforcement is one route to protecting coastal resources,” said a Nairobi-based fisheries analyst who asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the issue. “But it must be paired with transparent licensing, regional cooperation and support for small-scale fishers, otherwise seizures become episodic reactions rather than a sustainable solution.”
Potential diplomatic fallout
Detaining Iranian and Yemeni vessels could prompt diplomatic inquiries. Puntland State’s announcement did not say whether the detained vessels were operating with any permits or under what flags they were registered beyond the nationality of their owners, and it did not provide details on evidence of illegal activity.
Maritime incidents involving foreign crews often ripple into broader regional relations — particularly in the Gulf of Aden, where trade routes, fisheries and security interests interconnect. Officials in Bosaso did not immediately reply to requests for more information on the nationality of the detained crew or whether consular access had been provided.
Broader trends: countries clamping down on illegal fishing
This action in Puntland State mirrors a wider movement across African coastal states to reclaim control of maritime resources. From West Africa to the Indian Ocean, governments are stepping up patrols, seizing vessels and imposing heavier fines as global demand for seafood rises and stocks dwindle. Conservationists say such efforts are essential but often underfunded and uneven.
“Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing is not just theft at sea — it undercuts food security and undermines local economies,” said a marine conservationist with an international NGO. “Without sustained investment in monitoring and community-based management, enforcement actions can simply push the problem elsewhere.”
Questions at the dock
As the detained vessels await legal processing in Bosaso, practical and ethical questions remain. Will the crews be treated humanely and given fair trials? Will penalties be enough to deter future incursions? And will regional authorities pair law enforcement with long-term support for the thousands of small-scale fishers who depend on a healthy sea?
For men like Abdi Hassan, the answers are not academic. “We want our fish, our nets, our lives,” he said. “They have taken so much already. If the government can stop them, then let it. But if not, what next?”
The seizures underline the complex collision of local livelihoods, regional politics and global demand for marine resources. Whether this week’s operation is a turning point for Puntland State’s fisheries — or another short-lived intervention — will depend on follow-through, transparency and, crucially, the inclusion of the coastal communities most affected by plundered seas.
By Ali Musa
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
