It is no doubt that Somali piracy is killing the global fishing industry but it may also be inadvertently playing the role of marine conservationists by preventing commercial over-fishing. The head of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission, Alejandro Anganuzzi, inofmred that the tuna fleets that operate in the region have been hauling in far fewer fish compared to what they used to catch before 2007.
He also told that the decline in catches have affected a $6 billion industry that provides roughly a quarter of the world’s supply of tuna. He told that two years ago, climate change is thought to have played a part in driving the fish deeper into colder waters and away from fishing nets. Over-fishing in some areas may have also contributed to the decline in catches. In 2008, many of the same problems remained. But fishermen faced another threat of Somali pirates who hijack ships in the same area where large schools of fish gathered every year.
Anganuzzi opined that it is little known the overall impact of piracy on the tuna industry. But he confirms the threat of pirate attacks have prompted many vessels to avoid some of the richest fishing spots in the Indian Ocean. Now warships from more than a dozen countries are currently off the coast of Somalia, trying to disrupt pirate activities that have taken an enormous toll on the global shipping industry and economies.
A U.S.-based marine conservationist, Joni Lawrence, says by denying fishing vessels access to rich hunting grounds in the Indian Ocean, the pirates could be doing the world a favor. He said that over-fishing will disrupt the balance of marine eco-systems and will have a critical effect on local and national economies around the world that depend on fishing for their survival.
