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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