Mogadishu,somalia.(Mareeg)2008-11-16--Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing is the daily game in Somali waters - on 16. November 2008 A Chinese long-line fishing vessel with 24 crew, allegedly seized with tuna and ivory on board off the coast of Somalia, made it into the headlines this week, but many more industrial fishing ventures are going on in Somali waters unabated and obviously now at least partly protected by an international armada of warships. While the Chinese-flagged FV TIAN YU 8 most likely will face a court procedure, maybe in front of the newly established Islamic court in Kismaayo in the South of Somalia's Indian Ocean coast, 2000 km away in the North of Somalia the 33 men strong crew of a Yemeni fishing vessel MSV ALZAEEMAH is being held partly in Puntland's coastal area east of Boosaaso and partly on the ship, which was seized off Socotra island. Information reaching Mombasa indicates that currently also FV ROBERTO (now allegedly owned by an Italian group linked to ITTICA SPA) is fishing illegally from Kenya into the Kismaayo fishing grounds, while NATO, CTF 150 as well as navies from India and Russia have pledged to the United Nations to secure the Somali waters from all forms of piracy, following three UN Security Council resolutions. Piracy is obviously not only committed by Somali pirates attacking merchant ships and taking them hostage but also by fishing fleets from foreign nations illegally reaping off the marine wealth from the Somali seas. Other activities outlawed by the United Nations Common Law of the Seas (UNCLOS) include the dumping of toxic or nuclear waste and as a matter of fact any dumping at sea. Somali has been without a central government since 1991, and much of the territory has since then been subject to serious civil strife, weapons proliferation and illegal fishing. Based on UNCLOS no legal fishing licence can be issued to any foreign industrial fishing activity in Somali waters. But for the last 12 years especially Mombasa based fishing trawlers have been illegally fishing inside the 200 nm Somali EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone) as well as even in Somali territorial waters contrary to Somali national law, contrary to UNCLOS and contrary to Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) instruments, including the regulations of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC). While, in addition to many unregistered and uncontrolled vessels, the over 255 vessel strong armada of registered European fishing vessels, which hunt the valuable tuna in the Indian ocean, often venture into Somali waters, semi-industrial trawlers target the shallow water prawns in Somalia and land on average around 800 metric tons annually only from one area at the rich grounds around the mouth of the river Juba, north of Kismaayo. The total yearly loss is unknown. A loot mainly for export, which sums to a whole-sale market value of nearly a million dollar. Most of these fishing trawlers are said to be operated or at least organized from Kenya through companies like Basta & Sons as well as East African Seafood. Artisanal Somali fishermen have blamed the prawn trawlers from Kenya, Italy and other nations for the serious decline of the prawn population and the diminishing stocks of the valuable and highly priced crustaceans while causing great destruction to the marine environment by using illegal fishing methods. The daily illegal harvesting and the dumping of tonnes of by-catch are listed as a key concern. Likewise the trawlers, which officially are forbidden in Kenyan waters and the international long-liners add to the ruthless exploitation of Somalia's only valuable natural resource with sustainable income generation possibilities, if it would not be destroyed totally. Environmentalists decry specifically that the illegal and indiscriminate prawn trawling and fishing activities are causing increased mortalities of the sea turtles, the dolphins and the rare, red-listed Dugongs (/Dugong dugon/). While in Kenya the Dugong population has been already almost completely wiped out, Somalia still has one of the last viable populations on the eastern African Indian Ocean coast. If illegal fishing activities are not stopped immediately also the last Dugong population of Southern Somalia will perish. The link between illegal fishing, smuggling activities and the Somali warlords is obvious and has been documented over many years by environmental groups and the United Nations. But cross-border interests of wealthy Kenyan-Somali as well as Kenyan businessmen with highest office connections have so far not been stopped by the Kenya government. While every aircraft flying from Kenya to Somalia or coming to Kenya from Somalia has to have seriously scrutinized permissions from the Kenya government, the trafficking of contraband on ships including illegally harvested marine products, drugs and guns as well as people goes unnoticed and uncontrolled. The arrested Chinese long-liner is said now to even have been found with illegal ivory on board - most likely deriving from Kenya. The exploiters themselves have clearly demarcated territories in the Somali seas: To avoid conflict of interest among themselves Basta & Sons usually operates around GobWeyn near the fertile Juba River mouth while ships linked with East African Seafood operate near and around Marka, Baraawa (Brawa) and on and off in clandestine co-operation with Thai companies along the Boosaaso fishing grounds in the semi-autonomous region of Puntland. The trawlers operated by Basta and Sons include the following fishing vessels: FV Andrea, FV Helena, FV Venture II, FV Vega and FV Roberto (now with ITTICA) and those operated by East African Seafood include: FV Alpha Manyara, FV Alpha Serengeti, FV Alpha Amboseli, FV Ashkay, FV Angler, FV Jackpot, FV Challenger, FV Victoria 5 and FV Victoria 6, and FV Victoria 7. The former Russian fishing vessels Helena and Roberta (formerly Horizon 1 and 2) were wrestled from their original Leningrad owner, who operated through a clandestine Austrian company, in a joint sting operation between Somali "pirates", who held these vessels captive, and the Italian group based in Mombasa. The markets in Mombasa and Nairobi are flooded with canned tuna fish from Somalia, which goes by brand names like OMAR, HILWA, BARI, ALABASTA, all falsely marked as "Produce of Thailand", while the Tuna fish in the cans is coming from Somali waters and it is even partly canned in Somalia. Years back the Somalis were proud to sell it under original brand names like "LAS KOREY", standing for a Russian 1973 built fish-factory at the coastal town of Las Korey in Warsangeli Land, which was revived some eight years ago. But the strong business interests at the target market choose the trade to continue in a more covered operation, involving Thai contractors in Boosasso, who pay local militia to guard their interests. Few years ago, when the Thailand's Premier Thaksin Sinuwat - now wanted by an international arrest warrant - whose visa for the UK just were cancelled, hat started his links with Kenyan businessmen, who even tried to lure President Kibaki into a shady deal exporting the country's wildlife to a nightlife-zoo in Thailand, the seeds for the covered Thai fish produce sales ripped from Somali waters were planted. Realizing that their activities have not gone unnoticed any longer, ITTICA (linked to Basta & Sons) have now applied for import and export licences from the Kenya government. But even an import-licence would not make an at least controversially obtained, if not outright stolen good legally clean. East African Seafood is associated with the Mombasa based Alpha group of companies, which is also notorious for selling undersized squid (even advertised as "Baby-Squid") in Kenyan supermarkets and overseas and for causing every year the death of an uncountable number of sea-turtles and dolphins in their operations. Turtle- and Dolphin-safe fishing methods have never been applied in the waters of Eastern Africa. The proprietors of Alpha group are comprised of Indian and Italian businessmen, while Basta & Sons is an Italian family company. As the activities of these two fishing companies in Somalia are carried out in serious violation of UNCLOS, Somali fishing communities, national as well as international marine and environmental organizations and the seafarers organizations call upon the government of Kenya to take appropriate action and urge the European Union to keep their fishing vessels away from the Somali waters until a proper governance is established again and sound management practices have been implemented. Asked, why consumers can not play a role and could be motivated to only buy from fishing companies, which operate by the rules, a member of the Kenya Marine Forum on condition of anonymity stated: "At the moment we don't know of any clean fishing company in Kenya, which could be recommended, because whenever someone starts up and plays by the rules, the company is closed down miraculously shortly thereafter. Artisanal fishermen can only just live from their meagre catch and the local fishing co-operatives have no chance against the business-tycoons, who can fill their pockets from the riches of neighbouring Somalia, because they can buy officials and protection all the way up in Kenya and all the way down in Somalia. "And they play hardball," he whispers "like in Italy", where even the government has admitted now that already 6% of the overall economy is owned by the Mafia, who seems to be the only group not affected by credit-crunch and recession. The marine protection consortium of national and international organizations also strongly believes that cutting off Somali Warlords' economic lifelines and the interdiction of the grey and amoral world of illegal fishing, arms and people trafficking will help to bring the warlords to the negotiating tables.  Originaly printed ECOTERRA intl