By Joe Kiarie

Over the past two years, piracy along the Somali coast has almost made the Indian Ocean waters a no-go zone. And for this, the pirates have been branded a blessing in disguise to Kenya for locking out illegal commercial trawlers and ensuring high fish quantity and variety.

But before fishermen could fully bask in unparalleled providence, marine and fisheries experts have dismissed hopes that Kenya is likely to benefit immensely from the vast resources.

They say the bulk of the fish are found within Kenya’s 200 nautical mile Exclusive Economic Zone, yet the fishing equipment at the Coast can hardly make it beyond two kilometres off the shoreline.

Piracy has reduced illegal fishing in the Indian Ocean. Photo: File/Standard

The commercial trawlers that previously roamed the Coast were large, powerful and expensive. They were specially modelled to suit deep-sea fishing.

Mr Ruwa says the sea is now teeming with different species of fish. The lucrative tuna is the most prevalent and it is the species that will ensure all is not lost for local fishermen.

"The only reprieve for fishermen is that the current boom is not restricted to the deep sea. The shallow waters harbour various fish species that fled from the deep waters to escape the marauding tuna," he explains.

And to avoid the massive marine resources going to waste in the deep sea, the director reveals Kemfri is working on a project — the South West Indian Fisheries Project — to facilitate fishermen’s full exploitation.

The project involves nine nations, which will jointly map all the stock in the ocean as well as value and calculate how much each country can be allowed to catch.

"With this, the Government will encourage investors to come out and fish. But overall, it will be more beneficial if Kenya owns fishing vessels," says Ruwa.

Other countries involved in the project are Tanzania, Mozambique, South Africa, Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles, Comoros and France, which owns islands in the Indian Ocean.

Ruwa confirms illegal international fishing is no longer prevalent at the Coast.

"Most of the illegal fishers used to come from Japan, Korea and EU countries. We have not recorded much illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) fishing due to pirate attack threats," he says.

Somali pirates have increased attacks over the past 18 months largely due to the millions of dollars in ransom they earn. Reports say they currently hold close to a dozen vessels and more than 200 crew hostage.

Before piracy started hitting international headlines, Ruwa says foreign commercial vessels dominated the expansive coast. But the current scenario comes in the wake of a move by the Kenyan Defence Ministry to fit camera equipment that will support the fight against piracy.

A report released by the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore this year estimates the value of illegal catches from Somalia’s maritime jurisdiction at between $90 million and $300 million a year, and that foreign fishing vessels come from all around the world.

The report’s author, Clive Schofield, a research fellow with the Australian Centre for Ocean Resources and Security at the University of Wollongong, termed it ironic that nations contributing warships to anti-piracy efforts are in some cases directly linked to the foreign fishing vessels, "stealing Somalia’s offshore resources.’’