These days, being 9,090 miles away is no longer a barrier to knowledge sharing and education. Dr. Jamal Hassan, Chair of the Marine Sciences Department at City University of Mogadishu, invited Dr. Sarah Glaser, Senior Research Associate at Secure Fisheries, to give a lecture to his marine science students about Secure Fisheries’ report, Securing Somali Fisheries. The one-hour video-conference allowed Dr. Glaser to share her approach to studying the marine fisheries of Somalia and engaged students in a question and answer period. Dr. Glaser shared the following conclusions:
- Foreign fishing in Somalia is a problem – but not all of it is illegal
- We have methods for learning a lot about Somali fisheries with only a little data
- Fish catch data is extremely important and badly needed!
- Somalia has the potential for profitable fisheries – IF
- Fisheries management is enforced
- Good gear practices are used
- Valuable stocks are targeted
- Domestic markets expand
This is the first in a series of lectures that will be the cornerstone of a new partnership between Secure Fisheries and City University.