Two million Somalis are threatened by famine, and instead of helping, they also take their fish. From the blog http://www.netzfrauen.org
China is the world’s largest consumer, but also the largest producer of fish.
To satisfy the growing popular demand for fish and continue exporting seafood abroad, giant fishing vessels from China are now fishing in international waters, illegally. With dire consequences, because with its huge fleet, China is contributing to the overfishing of the oceans. Every third fish comes from Chinese production, a study found.
But since China has already cleared its oceans, China is fishing on the coasts of Africa, and the fish caught are being sold in Europe, the US and the Middle East.
Paradox, Somalia is one of the poorest and most fragile countries in the world. As part of the special initiatives “Fighting causes of flight” gets Somalia from Germany development aid.
Not only that, within the framework of the special initiative “ONE WORLD without hunger” the fish consumption in the port Kismayo is also promoted with development aid, in order to improve the local food supply.
Somali government awards fishing rights to China – after Somalia received $ 200 million from China
The government of Somalia has agreed at the end of December 2018 a loan of $ 200 million for the reconstruction of the port of Mogadishu. The Bank has sole fishing rights on the Somali coast and remains involved in the port until full payment of the loan.
There are some of Africa’s richest fishing grounds in Somali waters, but not for the hungry in Somalia.
This is where the world’s largest offshore fishing fleets fish.
Fish, for the people of the US, Asia, Europe and the Middle East.
And not only China has fished waters of Somalia empty, but also Europe. The consequences of this overfishing must now pay the Africans. A plunder by giant fishing vessels in West African waters is responsible for the hunger. Many of these ships are more than 100 meters long, which means that they are true floating fish factories, including European ships. In an area of 100 km2, 17 foreign giant fishing vessels basically catch all life from the sea.
For every pound of salmon, for example, that China produces underwater in factory farming, they need two to three pounds of raw fish to feed the salmon. And it is exactly this fish that fishes China in other waters.
Paradoxically – not only Europe has promised Somalia help to defeat the hunger there, but also China. But if they want to help people in Somalia, why take their fish?
Two million Somalis are currently threatened by famine.
Two years after the ongoing drought in 2016/2017, livelihoods have been destroyed and nearly a million Somalis displaced. In Somalia, the rain is out and the drought is destroying crops and livestock. The UN fears the deaths of many people.
Because Somali fishermen no longer catch fish, they earn their living through piracy.
In recent years, much has been reported about the pirates in Somalia, who were hijacking container ships, plundering, and even kidnapping sailors to extort ransom.
After the anti-piracy operations under the leadership of the EU, NATO and the USA, in which also armed forces frigates are involved, protect the ships from Somalia, it has become calmer. But one wonders how it is then possible that large fleets fishing the coast off Somalia illegally empty?
China is bringing more fish from the world’s oceans than the next five countries. For years, Somali fishermen have complained that foreign fishing fleets in their waters have been poaching with destructive methods, destroying their livelihoods.
Somali shores are being cleared for fish to come to Europe. On the other hand, millions of euros in development aid are being paid.
Imagine the quantities of fish that are taken away from the locals day after day. That must be beyond the imagination of a human being. There are around 20 mega-ships in operation in this small area that can hold thousands of tons of fish!
In 2016, Argentina’s Coast Guard sank a Chinese ship under suspicion of fishing in Argentine waters.
The ship was greeted by radio (in Spanish and English) and both visual and audible signals were sent to make contact.
“The Chinese ship, however, switched off its fishing lights and fled towards international waters without responding to repeated calls over different frequencies, “said the Coast Guard (in Spanish).
On several occasions, the ship underwent maneuvers that would force a collision with the Coast Guard, endangering not only its own [= Chinese] crew but also Coast Guard personnel. Therefore, the Coast Guard was assigned to shoot parts of the ship.
All 32 crew members were rescued, it said.
But in March 2019 there was another incident in Argentina.
A 2017 study published in Fish and Fisheries found that China trades more for non-human consumption than any other country in the world.
This catch is normally converted into fishmeal and fish oil, which is used to feed fish in aquaculture.
Sustainability is not on the Chinese agenda. China does not ask, China simply takes, and illegal too!
https://netzfrauen.org/2019/06/19/somalia/
My comment: For years one reads, the oceans are empty fished, overfished 80% of the stocks. And what is the UN really writing? “world capture fisheries production has been stable in the past decade” !!
And the EU is also plundering fish stocks off the coast of Africa. By purchasing the fishing quotas of other states, the problem of overfishing is exported beyond EU borders.
China’s population now accounts for one-third of global fish consumption – partly because the growing middle class can afford the former delicacies more and more often.
To satisfy this hunger, approximately 200,000 Chinese fishing boats are estimated to be sailing the oceans. They account for more than half of global fishing.
Every fifth fish comes from illegal fishing, an economic scandal with catastrophic ecological consequences. Organized is the mafia of the oceans in a global network that is active on all oceans. Many species are threatened by extinction. And the little fishermen of Somalia are losing their livelihood.
“First the sea dies, then we die,” says Paul Watson.
If we want to stop the exploitation of the oceans, we should not support the crime of fish mafia and delete fish, like all other meat, from our menu.
My best regards to all, Venus
the press spokesman of the police Stefan Hinrichs during the interview: “Personally, I find the behavior of the young people very good”
World Animals Voice 