The year 2024 has proven to be a calamitous time for Yemen’s fishermen, especially for Salem Atek. Due to squabbles in the abundant Red Sea and the impacts of climate change, his income from angling has been significantly affected. Earlier in the year, naval combat near his fishing grounds in the Red Sea led to him narrowly avoiding danger. This area is now deemed risk-ridden due to assaults by Yemen’s Houthi faction on global maritime traffic, actions they claim are to back the Palestinians in the Gaza battle.
The incident left Atek so shaken that he chose to abstain from the remainder of the tuna season. His adversity extended with the destruction of his fishing tools due to abnormally high ocean levels invading his storage cabin in al-Buraiqeh, near Aden. “For the first time in my life the water got into it at this time of the year,” he reported. “Our seasons are mixed up, like farmers, we fishermen have our calculations … but now our calculations are not working.”
The joint catastrophe of war and climate change’s effects are escalating Yemen’s humanitarian crisis, leaving more than half of its 33 million citizens dependent on foreign aid and forcing roughly, 4.5 million to evacuate their homes. Yemen’s fishing community has been severely affected by these dual disasters. An internal conflict has ruined their fishing vessels, ports, and storage facilities; besides, a new maritime conflict is taking lives and income.
“We are being pushed into debt”, Atek reported. He is now restricted to catching cheaper, smaller kinds of fish near the coast, whereas the more profitable species, like tuna, are further offshore. The situation has been made worse due to the ongoing civil war, which started after the Iranian-supported Houthis toppled the government from the capital, Sanaa, in late 2014. To reinstate the Government, a military coalition led by Saudi Arabia intervened in 2015. The ongoing violence has compelled Yemen’s northern shoreline fishermen to alter their paths, an inconvenience they have been enduring for years.
Amidst the aftermath of the Gaza war in the Red Sea, fisherman from southern reaches have also been impacted. This conflict led to military intervention by the United States and Britain, with actions focused on Houthi targets in Yemen. The Houthi-controlled fisheries department reported a minimum of two fisherman fatalities in March resulting from British and US coalition strikes near the Red Sea’s Mocha port in Yemen’s southwest. The US Central Command has not provided any comments on the incident.
Unfortunately, the threat isn’t only in deep sea fishing, as even those who choose to stay near the shoreline continue to experience fear. Apart from fears of warplanes and battleships, they also have to cope with inconsistent water currents and winds – effects they perceive as a consequence of climate change. Nasser Hadji, a fisherman from Aden, revealed that fishing yields have dropped significantly, remarking, “It’s a tough situation. We’re taking our precautions and relying on faith.”
Before the civil war, Yemen had a healthy fishing industry, boasting more than 350 varieties of marine life and fish, including sardines, mackerel, lobster and tuna, in its 2520-kilometre coastline. A reported half a million people had employment in the sector before the conflict, and the fish commodity was Yemen’s second-most valuable export after oil and gas, according to the Norwegian Refugee Council.
However, war has crippled the nation, and by 2024 it is projected that 60% of Yemen’s residents will suffer acute food insecurity due to inflated fuel and food costs, conflict, and extreme weather conditions such as severe droughts. Yemen stands amongst countries most at risk from climate change and it remains ill-equipped to counter its repercussions.
Last year, a report by the Yemen Family Care Association, an NGO, predicted that Yemen’s coastal sea levels will likely rise by 0.3 to 0.54 metres by the turn of the century. The report also highlighted an uptick in cyclone exposure for Yemen with a total of six major tropical storms hitting the country since 2015. These storms resulted in mass displacement and significant losses to fishing craft and equipment.
In the southeast region, cyclone Tej struck last October, causing significant damage. The widespread destruction affected around 18,000 homes and inflicted instense damage to the area’s infrastructure, including health facilities, telecommunications, and roads. With rising sea temperatures and tropical storms, the fishing industry is facing falling fish stocks and hazardous weather conditions making their job more perilous.
Musaed Aklan from the Sana’a Centre for Strategic Studies highlighted the impact of these factors, prompting fishermen to quit the profession. He stressed that the war escalated the already strained condition affecting their livelihoods. Consequently, to make ends meet, some resorted to fishing in riskier waters near the East African coast. However, the desperate move led to capture by pirates or detention by foreign authorities for fishing in foreign waters.
Earlier this month, a report by the Houthi-run news agency, Saba News, mentionned the poor conditions in which 17 Yemeni fishermen were held in an Eritrean prison before they were released and sent back to Yemen.
Salma Nasser Abdan, leading the Sahel Association aid group, shed light on the perilous situation for Yemeni fishermen, particularly those from Aden and other southerly regions. She stated that, due to the turmoil in the Red Sea, these fishermen sailed into riskier waters for the first time. In addition, their vulnerability was further heightened with the resurgence of pirate activities in Somalia’s offshore areas. Abdan highlighted the increasing perils including murder, theft of their fishing gear among other threats.
Copyright Thomson Reuters, 2024.