Ahmed (not his real name) spoke to ENACT through painful spasms and a wheezing chest in Eyl, on the coast of Puntland. He is paralysed from the waist down as a result of nitrogen poisoning from deep-sea diving for crustaceans using dangerous gear. ‘The catch is smaller every time, but we have to survive. Honug is our lifeline.’
‘Honug’ is a form of daredevil snorkelling using rudimentary diving devices composed of flexible pipes and vehicle air compressor tanks that Somali fisherfolk use in search of ever-dwindling stocks of lobster and shrimp.
The fishers claim that shortages are the consequence of illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) fishing by foreign vessels operating within the 24 nautical miles allocated to local fishermen per Somalia’s fisheries laws.
 Improvised diving gear known as ‘honug’ |
 The day’s lobster catch waiting to be packed at a Chinese factory in Eyl |
IUU fishing in these waters is estimated to cost Somalia up to US$300 million annually. It is mainly carried out by international fishing vessels from Yemen, Pakistan, Iran, China and Spain, which are only authorised to operate between 24 and 200 nautical miles of Somalia’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
Once a seasoned fisherman, Ahmed is a shell of his former self. He used to go as far as 30 km into the ocean with other fishermen, using ‘honug’ to spend two to three hours at a time underwater to bring in a good catch.
These long, labour-intensive dives sustained him and his family, and he would sell his catch to both local Somali companies and Chinese exporters, who then shipped the seafood to markets in Asia and the United Arab Emirates. While Ahmed sold the lobsters he caught for between US$5 and US$10 per kilogram, high demand means they are sold for much higher prices in these overseas markets.
Doctors have advised Ahmed that he needs immediate surgery, but he cannot afford the medical treatment. He’s now bedridden, facing not only physical pain but the burden of being unable to provide for his family. Although he insists that he will return to the ocean once he feels better, his prospects seem slim.
The once-bustling fishing business in Eyl, a seaside town in the semi-autonomous Puntland State of Somalia, has become a struggle for survival. Fishing grounds that were plentiful have grown increasingly barren and Somali fishermen have had to dive deeper and ride further to find the prized crustaceans.
Local residents told ENACT that at least five fishermen had died between October 2024 and February 2025 due to afflictions associated with diving to depths of 30 m or more for 15 – 20 minutes to harvest crustaceans. This is corroborated by Abdinour Mohamed Hiirad, a medical officer and former fisherman based in Eyl, who says around 10 deaths and 23 injuries have been reported in Eyl and surrounding villages in the past year.
Eyl’s mayor says there have been more victims of honug in the past two years than ever before, because fishermen cannot afford appropriate, safe diving gear and boats. Researchers from the Puntland Development and Research Centre (PDRC) agree, reporting that nitrogen respiratory poisoning among fishermen, which results in injuries and death, is common along Somalia’s coast. However, they say that it is underreported and rarely addressed.
Even the longer and more dangerous dives often yield little to no catch, due to an increasing decline in crustacean stocks over the past few years. Local respondents attribute this overfishing to better equipped foreign vessels with little regard for the territorial rights of local fishers.
This is supported by the PDRC researchers, who say foreign operators take advantage of inadequate enforcement capacity. The lack of mechanisms to enforce seasonal restrictions on both local and foreign vessels between March and September means fish populations cannot recover. Crustacean fishing during the intended ‘off’ season is common, and the resulting overfishing harms local livelihoods.
Ahmed and his colleagues have also had to contend with (sometimes violent) confrontations with foreign fishing vessels operating in Somali waters. ‘Vessels from Iran, Yemen and China have threatened our safety at sea,’ he recalls. ‘On one occasion, they even tried to run me down, attempting to crush my small boat. When I confronted them and demanded they stay within their allocated sea zone, they threatened to kill me.’
The local resentment against foreign vessels has fuelled piracy and conflict, and facilitated other organised crimes such as arms, human and commodity trafficking and smuggling. Between December 2024 and March 2025, at least three vessels were seized by suspected pirates in the waters off Eyl.
Addressing the harms resulting from IUU fishing and the resultant use of honug require a combination of community-based management, improved governance and international cooperation.
The Puntland Maritime Police Force can engage local fishers to report instances of out-of-season crustacean fishing and the presence of foreign vessels in local fishing zones.
Involving local fishermen in monitoring and reporting can bridge gaps in regulation and enforcement, as they possess extensive knowledge of the marine ecosystem and their fishing partners, making this partnership highly valuable. A noteworthy example is in Tanzania, where a community-led initiative allows local fishers to monitor and enforce fishing regulations actively.
Greater collaboration is needed between Somalia’s Federal Government and Puntland state in strengthening and enforcing fishery regulations that prevent dangerous fishing practices.
Given both governments’ resource inadequacy, Puntland and the Federal Government can also collaborate with Somalia’s international partners to address IUU fishing and the adverse health risks and livelihood disruptions caused by improvised diving gear.
Practical interventions include partnering with, for example, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), United Nations (UN) Food and Agriculture Organization and European Union, to provide subsidised safe diving gear, vessels, soft loans and civic awareness campaigns on the dangers of honug.
These measures could help remedy the need to use improvised diving gear. Such interventions have worked successfully in countries like Angola, where IFAD supports an artisanal fisheries aquaculture project that provides training and helps fishers acquire better equipment including boats, nets and engines. Another example is the International Fund for Fishing Safety, which has pledged to boost fisher safety in six countries, including Kenya, by providing lifejackets and safety training.
As a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, Somalia could advocate for expanding sanctions against countries and companies that engage in IUU fishing in its waters.
Somalia’s maritime security agencies could also partner with friendly countries like Turkey to patrol and enforce regulations within its EEZ, although this arrangement could further strain relations between Somalia’s Federal Government and the self-declared state of Somaliland.
Halkano Wario, ROCO East Africa and Samira Abdi, ENACT Nairobi
Image: A boat leaving for lobster fishing in Eyl, Somalia
