The enduring conflict did not exclude any of the largest groups of workers in Yemen, estimated at hundreds of thousands of labors in the field of fisheries. The chain of works related to this sector, which is subjected to severe negligence, in light of the difficult conditions experienced by the Yemeni economy, which is deteriorating due to the war and the conflict that has been going on in Yemen for eight years.
The conflict left scars that affected every aspect of life in Yemen, which can be recognized everywhere; in markets, roads, schools, courts, hospitals, homes, and in the promising productive sectors that employ laborers, such as the fisheries and agriculture sector.
The collapse of the economy, another byproduct of more than seven years of war, has exacerbated the vulnerabilities of the poorest estimated by “19 million people who has been projected as in dire need to food assistance in the second half of 2022.
The United Nations warns that the deepening humanitarian crisis in Yemen is a reality that must be addressed with urgency, given the shocking numbers this year, with more than 23 million people - or nearly three quarters of Yemen's population - now in need of assistance. This represents an increase of nearly three million people over 2021. Nearly 13 million people are already facing acute levels of food insecurity.
Complications
A set of problems and difficult conditions have affected the fishery sector in Yemen, where fishing vessels in Hodeidah have been bombed and denied access to fishing areas throughout the past years of war. Moreover, the coasts of Aden have been subjected to sea piracy by fishing vessels coming from countries in the region that have not refrain from violating Yemeni geography at the level of land and sea.
The length of the Yemeni coast is 2,520 km, and its abundant fish resources provide livelihoods and nutrition for the coastal population. Prior to the conflict, Yemen was a major producer of fish, with more than 350 species of fish and other marine life found in its territorial waters, including 65 commercially important species.
Hadhramaut, the governorate that has wide-ranging beaches and has a plenty of fishing ports, did not spare its citizens the crisis of high price of fish. Moreover, the price hikes of fisheries are attributed to the additional complications that have occurred with the official trends - during the past two years - in the governorate, to reduce the activity of fish companies in buying fish from the public auction, as the General Authority for Fisheries issued a decision to open the way for citizens to buy fish from the early morning hours until eleven o'clock am after which is the door was open to fishing companies. Steps may ease the impact of high prices, but they will not end the current crisis.
Additionally, the coast guard forces in Hadramout Governorate decided to register the fishing boats, after the aggravation of the problem of preventing fishermen from entering fishing areas near military naval sites.
Fisheries Efficiency
Economists believe that Yemen should pay attention to fish production and increase the pace of production and exports to support the deteriorating economy, which is suffering from exacerbating problems.
In this context, the Board of Executive Directors of the World Bank today approved a grant of $45 million to Yemen to support the sustainable management of fisheries in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
The grant from the World Bank’s International Development Association IDA aims to enhance economic opportunities in Yemen, improve food security, help manage fisheries production more efficiently, as well as strengthen regional cooperative management mechanisms for fisheries in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden region.
The coastal city of Aden is distinguished by its strategic location and importance, and a bay overlooking three seas; The Red Sea, the Arabian Sea, and the Indian Ocean, which create a vast fishery wealth, due to the mixing and overlapping of the seas, which makes it a fertile area where the best fish and whales live in the water spot along the Gulf of Aden.
But the journey of fishing is a stroke of luck, as described by fishermen and talked about in famous tales, as this journey requires special equipment and certain methods that the fishermen would need to be trained on it for a long time.
livelihood opportunities
Among other objectives, the World Bank project seeks to revitalize and manage the fisheries sector more effectively in selected areas of Yemen; Increasing the availability of food and livelihood opportunities for Yemeni families participating in the fish value chain. The project will work with local partners, fisheries cooperatives and associations, local fisheries communities, and the private sector to protect fish and their ecosystems.
Further, Yemen is a member of the Regional Organization for the Conservation of the Environment in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, and it is the first of seven member countries to benefit from the Sustainable Development Program for Fisheries in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. Through this programme, the region will enhance regional cooperation for the sustainable management of fisheries in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
The length of the Yemeni coast is 2,520 km, and its abundant fish resources provide livelihoods and nutrition for the coastal population. Prior to the conflict, Yemen was a major producer of fish, with more than 350 species of fish and other marine life found in its territorial waters, including 65 commercially important species.
The total catch of fish was about 160,000 tons in 2015, mostly from artisanal fishing. However, the conflict caused severe damage to the entire fish value chain, and decimated the ability to properly manage valuable fish stocks, especially in coastal areas, exposing Yemeni fisheries to a severe risk of depletion.
“For coastal communities, fisheries are a vital source of livelihood and nutrition. This project will not only support them, but also help diversify the economy, create high-value jobs, and ensure marine resources are properly managed on sustainable manner,” said Tanya Meyer, Director of the World Bank’s Yemen Office.
Fish is one of the most important and promising wealth in Yemen, in addition to the importance of the fish sector, which is one of the most vital and main sectors of the national economy. Nonetheless, this wealth is subjected to continuous waste, along with many consequences due to the war that has been going on in the country for 7 years, in addition to the greed of some traders and lack of active laws that protect fishermen, consumers and diverse marine life.
It is worth noting that Yemen enjoys coastal strip rich in fish and marine life, in which the mountainous and sandy terrain and slopes of valleys flow into the sea and formed bays, which in total constitute about 20% of the length of the beaches, according to the map of fisheries, starting from the Yemeni-Omani border. In the Arabian Sea, and even to the end of the Yemeni-Saudi border in the Red Sea and this sector is considered one of the most promising economic sectors.
