Co ‐management Option in Fisheries

7 2 Fisheries Management Options in Somalia

2.1 Previous Centralized Management System

Somalia had a centralized type of fisheries management in the post‐independence period to the outbreak of the civil war. That type of management did not consider inputs from the different stakeholders of the fisheries sector including the fishing communities. It also did not allow coordination of the fisheries sector with other sectors of the economy related to fisheries, including tourism, agriculture, environment, maritime transport, ports administration, the navy, and provincial and local administrations. Presidential decrees proclaimed fisheries legislations and regulations. This type of fisheries management is not suitable anymore for present day Somalia and Somaliland; therefore, a new type of fisheries management needs to be considered. Decentralization and co‐management of fisheries resources management are more appropriate for the current governance arrangement in Somalia, which is based on federal system of governance. In addition, the new fisheries management system should take into consideration the traditions and customs of the Somali people.

2.2 Co ‐management Option in Fisheries

Co ‐management, also referred to as collaborative management, requires participation of resource users that shifts from being briefly consulted and receiving top‐down information to full involvement in decision ‐making and interactive management Berkes et al, 2001. Management in which the fisher can become an active member of resource management team, balancing rights and responsibilities and working cooperatively rather than combatively with the government, defines joint management or co‐ management. Fisheries co‐management is a partnership in which government, the community of local resource users fishers, external agents non‐governmental organizations, academics, and research institutions and other fisheries and coastal resources stakeholders boat owners, fish processors and traders, tourism establishments, etc. share responsibility and authority for making decisions about the management of the fishery Garcia, 1994. Somalia may adapt the principles of fisheries co‐management, first by valuing the traditional and cultural experiences in natural resources management and by reviewing the experiences of fisheries management of other nations, such as the United States, Indonesia and Philippines. The USA relies on state and regional fisheries management councils. While state management councils have authority over the fisheries in their states, regional councils are mandated to manage their region’s fisheries. There are eight Regional Fisheries Management Councils RFMC in the United States, covering all geographical regions of the country. The National Fisheries Management Service NMFS, a federal agency under the direction of the Secretary of Commerce the Federal Minister, coordinates RFMCs. Somali fisheries legislation needs to create a fisheries co‐management mechanism and establish fisheries management committees that are appropriate for the country Section 2.3 below. These 8 management committees develop fishery management plans, select fishery management options, summon panels, conduct hearings and advise authorities on regional fishery matters.

2.3 Proposed Regional Fisheries Management Committees RFMC