Somalia Is Ready to License Fishing Vessels After Becoming Signatory to IOTC

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has signed several bills into law at the end of last month. Among the bills he has signed was the Somali Fisheries Development and Management law. Today, the Fisheries minister, Ahmed Adan Hassan, has posted a tweet on his account announcing the signing of a robust and comprehensive regulation in line with IOTC requirements.

Following the parliament endorsement of Somali Fisheries Law, I signed today robust & comprehensive regulations inline with IOTC requirements, will be used licensing of vessels operating beyond 24nm, both foreign & nationally owned including joint ventures.

Ahmed Hassan Aden, 6 April 2023

What is IOTC?

The Indian Ocean Tuna Commission requires all vessels that fish for tuna in the Indian Ocean to be licensed. The IOTC is an international organization that manages tuna fisheries in the Indian Ocean. The IOTC's licensing requirements are designed to ensure that tuna fisheries are managed sustainably and that all vessels operating in the Indian Ocean are accountable for their catches.

The IOTC's licensing requirements include the following:

• Vessels must be registered with a flag state that is a member of the IOTC.
• Vessels must be inspected by the flag state to ensure that they meet the IOTC's safety and environmental standards — documentation, hull, equipment, and fishing gear.
• Vessels must be fitted with Vessel Monitoring Systems (VMS) that allow the IOTC to track their movements by satellite.
• Vessels must report their catches to the IOTC on a regular basis: species, quantity, and location.

By requiring all vessels to be licensed, the IOTC can ensure that tuna fisheries are managed sustainably and that all vessels operating in the Indian Ocean are accountable for their catches. For Somalia — a country with one of the longest coastlines in Africa — that accountability is not a technicality. It is the difference between a commons and a raid.