Fish dying in large numbers

The deaths of large numbers of fish are being reported all along the coast of Somalia, local sources told IRIN on Thursday. Dead and dying fish are being washed ashore from Kismayo, 500 km southwest of Mogadishu, to Bosaso, 1,500 km northeast of the Somali capital.

"We have seen all types of fish being washed ashore in the last couple of weeks," a humanitarian source in Kismayo told IRIN. "We have even seen sharks."

In Bosaso, the commercial capital of the self-declared autonomous region of Puntland, northeastern Somalia, and the region's main port, fish are being washed ashore "some of them alive and dying onshore", Muhammad Sa'id Kashawito, a local journalist, told IRIN. Fish in this condition have also been seen on the beaches of Mogadishu and nearby coastal towns.

There is no clear explanation as to what is killing the fish. According to the humanitarian source in Kismayo, some people are blaming foreign vessels for the phenomenon, accusing them of dumping poisonous waste into Somali waters. Others say the fish are being dumped by foreign ships illegally fishing in Somali waters.

"There is speculation that these ships are dumping some of their catches that they don't want," said Kashawito.

Environmentalists, however, say the fish deaths might be attributable to natural marine phenomena. The environmental group, Ecoterra International, said high concentrations of toxic algae, causing what is known as Harmful Algae Bloom (HAB), could be the reason.

"This is serious and affects the livelihood of coastal communities," an ecologist from Ecoterra told IRIN. "Ecoterra is monitoring and assessing the situation on a daily basis." He added that the organisation welcomed any assistance and cooperation on the many environmental problems in Somalia.

According to IRIN's sources in Mogadishu, Kismayo and Bosaso, Somalis are eating the fish being washed up, ignorant of the health implications. So far there are no reports of human deaths in this context, but Bosaso journalist Kashawito said some of the people who had eaten the fish "have developed skin rashes, almost like boils".