Project Results

I'm very exited to share you the conclusion of the field guide book printing and presentation of the book, I successfully presented the book with a highly organised party in 21/Nov/2022 at Bosaso, Somalia.

Thank you for your support.

About This Project

During Somalia’s 30-year-long civil war, my country lost many of our marine scientists. Now, Somalia lacks basic field guides for cataloguing the diversity of marine life in Somali waters. This project will investigate: what is the known diversity of Somali waters? Understanding biodiversity in Somali waters improve fisheries management. This research will be conducted by field ID in fish markets in Somalia, mainly in Bosaso. The resulting data will be used to create the field guide book.

Ask the Scientists

What is the context of this research?

Somalia’s location at the convergence of the Gulf of Aden to the north and the Indian Ocean to the east makes it a potential hotspot for marine biodiversity. Surveys conducted in the 1970s by FAO show an abundance of marine pelagic and demersal fishes such as Tuna, Sharks, Rays, Groupers, and Snappers. However, updated research on the diversity of fishes has been minimal during the last 30 years of civil war. Our understanding of Somalia’s marine biodiversity is outdated and insufficient. This lack of baseline knowledge makes it impossible to understand how global environmental change, including climate change, will impact Coastal marine resources. And unfortunately, the Somali region is predicted to face severe impacts from climate change as ocean waters warm

What is the significance of this project?

To understand the biodiversity of marine life in Somali waters, this research will produce a comprehensive fish ID guide book written in the Somali language. This fish guide book is designed to assist with the ID of Somali fishes for fishery data collectors, observers, inspectors, consumers, and fishery institutes in Somalia. It will provide a tool for undergraduate fisheries students to support their research, and serve as a reference for future research on biodiversity in Somalia. This G.B will give Somalis a better understanding of the distribution and an abundance of diversity of fish species found in Somali waters. Also it helps local communities to be aware of ensuring a sustainable fishery and its positive impacts to the fish stocks and conservation of marine coastal habitats.

What are the goals of the project?

The main goal of this research is to catalogue the diversity of fishes in Somali waters by answering the question, "How many species of fishes are known in coastal Somali waters near Bosaso?” Over the last two years, I`ve been conducting research on the diversity of fishes in Somali waters by recording the presence of marine species and identifying the local, commercial, and scientific names of the fishes. In addition, I took photographs of fishes brought from fish markets in Somalia, primarily in Bosaso, I used these references Fishbase.org, and "The Living Marine Resources of Somalia". After the publication of the G.B, I will hold a book presentation party and invite fisheries authorities, Universities, and fishing communities. I will distribute the book free of charge to libraries.