Somali Fair Fishing

Vision & Mission

450 species

In the waters off The Horn of Africa, there are many fish and about 450 known commercial fish species (in comparison, there are only 50 in northern european waters). But there is virtually no local fishing industry. We believe that is wrong. We believe there is a huge potential, and we want to work with the aim of building a local fishing industry that can create new jobs and offer an alternative to piracy, unemployment and poverty. It’s fish for peace. So that’s what we’ve started up doing. 

A ton of fish a day

We are Somali Fair Fishing, and we are an entrepreneurial organization working as concrete and simple as possible. The first task is during 2013 to establish fishing in the coastal town of Berbera in Somaliland to try and prove that it can be done. The aim is, that in autumn 2013, there will be caught and landed a ton of fish a day, being treated, moved from water to land and from fillets to the fish market. All the way. Somali Fair Fishing contributes with equipment and training at all levels. For fishermen in boats, for filleting and processing of fish on land and equipment like containers, ice machines, refrigerated trucks etc.

Owned by locals

If the Somali men and women in the fisheries sector, the government and people as consumers of fish, see an advantage in the project, we will scale it up so that it can spread in volume and geography. In this phase it will also include the development of stable infrastructure solutions to remove obstacles to a locally stable fishing industry. Somali Fair Fishing is independent of political and economic interests. Our goal is that the fishing industry is operated and owned by local Somalis. Somali Fair Fishing focuses on local involvement, the goal is local ownership. This is equal cooperation at eye level. This is mutual respect. We start up in Berbera in Somaliland, and the idea is, that the fishery should eventually spread along the coast of Somalia.

Oceans 11

SFF is a Danish-Somali non governmental organization founded in October 2011, based on an idea by Jacob Johannsen, who worked on the project from 2008 until his death in May 2012. Along the way people joined him. But it wasn’t easy. Despite verbal support from ministerial level, nothing happened and Somali Fair Fishing stalled. It was necessary to act – simply and targeted – if we wanted to gain momentum. And that’s what we did. During the spring and summer of 2012 Somali Fair Fishing underwent a change. Since then the group has expanded with necessary professional specialists for the fulfillment of SFFs goals. And then things started to happen. We have a goal, and skilled employees who pursue it effectively. And the results so far are suggestive. 

A lot of support

Somali Fair Fishing does not have a stable supply of funding for the operation, but we have recieved a lot of invaluable contributions, and a lot of support in many ways. But most important, we have started working on the ground in Somaliland, we have local organization and infrastructure, fish are being landed right now, and we are on track. So we are confident, that we will be able to secure a stable supply of funding for the project: fish for peace. Untill it is able to manage all by itself. 

Somali Fair Fishing. For peace and prosperity.