MOGADISHU — Fishermen in Bander Beyla, a town on Somalia's Puntland coast, are struggling to maintain their livelihoods during a piracy resurgence and security crackdowns that have upended daily life in the coastal community.
Piracy off Somalia has surged since late April 2026, with vessel hijackings reported near Bander Beyla and other ports. The influx has prompted authorities to impose fishing restrictions, conduct arrests, and increase surveillance.
Abdifatah Mohamed, 35, has fished off the Somali coast for 20 years. He reports a sharp decline in catches and dwindling prospects for lobsters.
"I don't catch as much fish anymore, and the prospects for catching lobsters have become rare," Mohamed said. "Foreign trawlers are emptying out the seas."
The collapse of Somalia's central government in 1991 weakened maritime oversight, leaving the country's waters vulnerable to illegal fishing by foreign vessels. The depletion of fish stocks has pushed some local fishermen toward piracy as traditional livelihoods disappear.
Mohamed said local fishermen cannot compete with foreign trawlers' advanced capabilities, a reality that affects families dependent on the catch. Some members of his community have turned to piracy, he acknowledged, though he views the shift as damaging to the town.
In late August, local authorities imposed a two-month ban preventing fishermen from going to sea, citing concerns that pirates were disguising themselves as fishermen to evade detection.
"The local authorities gave an order the last week of August preventing us from going out at sea, which would remain in effect for two months," Mohamed said. "Our families have suffered for it."
Fishermen who defy the restrictions face multiple risks. International navies operating in the waters might mistake them for pirates, resulting in arrest or detention abroad. Local authorities could accuse them of supporting piracy or transporting supplies to hijacked vessels.
"While out at sea, you could face arrest or violence from international navies, get mistaken for pirates, and be taken away to a jail in a foreign land. It's happened to a lot of men from this town," Mohamed said.
Abdirizak Said, a fisherman with 15 years of experience in Bander Beyla, said the crackdown has intensified hardship. Dozens of individuals have been arrested, many after providing food or khat to pirates anchored near the town.
Local businesses and stores have received government orders not to sell goods to pirates, Said said. Any business found doing so faces accusations of complicity.
