Puntland President Said Abdullahi Deni has strongly criticized illegal trawling vessels operating along Puntland’s coastline and condemned the growing incidents of piracy and kidnappings carried out by armed groups in parts of Somalia’s waters.
Speaking in the coastal district of Hafun in Bari region, Deni dismissed claims that the Puntland government owns or operates any industrial fishing vessels engaged in illegal trawling.
He said authorities would take action against commercial fishing companies that violate fishing agreements and international maritime regulations.
“I want to make it clear that there is no vessel owned by the government that engages in trawling. If anyone has told you otherwise, that should not happen again. However, if a privately owned vessel that has been granted a license by the government violates maritime regulations or fishes outside the areas designated for it, then action must be taken,” Deni said, noting that Puntland’s fisheries authorities are responsible for enforcing the rules.
The Puntland leader also pledged a tough campaign against piracy, comparing the threat to the Islamic State (ISIS) militants that Puntland security forces have been fighting in the mountainous regions of Bari.
“We will fight pirates in the same way we fought ISIS because piracy destroys our reputation, undermines our future plans, and damages our economy. We need international investment, and piracy threatens that,” Deni said.
His remarks come amid renewed concerns over illegal fishing and piracy along Somalia’s long coastline.
Puntland authorities have repeatedly warned that foreign vessels engaged in illegal fishing are depleting marine resources and affecting the livelihoods of local fishermen.
At the same time, sporadic pirate activity in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean has raised fears that criminal networks could regain a foothold in the region, threatening maritime security and international shipping routes.