Somaliland Fishery Law No. 84/2018.

This Law consisting of 29 articles divided into 7 Sections aims at (i) establishing a fishing system in accordance with national and international laws; (ii) developing and strengthening the sector technical skills; (iii) developing standards related to the exploitation of marine resources; (iv) developing mechanisms to encourage job creation opportunities in fishing sector; (v) implementing modern fisheries regulation to improve fisheries production and marine resources in Somaliland; (vi) improving the economic system of investment and marketing of fisheries and marine resources. It applies to the territorial waters of the Republic of Somaliland (12 nautical miles off the coast of the country, Exclusive Economic Zone, and Gulf of Aden controlled by the Government of Somaliland and Yemen). Responsible body for the policy of the administration and development of the country's fisheries laws and the protection of the biological environment in the territorial waters is the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources, which is also responsible, together with the Coast Guard for maintaining the coast of Somaliland and preventing illegal fishing in Somaliland waters. While responsibility of fishermen is (i) to observe and comply with the provisions of this Law; (ii) protect marine resources and adhere to the principles of the Law on the payment of various taxes on fishing business obligations.
With regard to fishing methods, the Law encourages the utilization of local marine resources of all kinds, with the exception of ten species (illustrated in article 9) which are among the most vulnerable fish species the risk of extinction worldwide. The Law prohibits (i) fishing vehicles from carrying out activities or use equipment that could cause death, pollution, or damage to all living things, marine plants and rocks (art.15); (ii) practicing the drift net fishing (art.16.4). Article 11 establishes a National Fisheries Affairs Advisory Committee, with the aim of advising the Ministry and related institutions on the development of fisheries in the country. It is constituted of representatives of all the concerned Ministries as well as representatives of local fishing companies and fishing cooperatives. Article 18 states that fishermen obtain a fishing license, except for small fishermen who feed on their daily livelihood and are not allowed to trade. Articles 19-21 provide for the rules and procedures for the registration of foreign, joint, and domestic fishing Companies. Article 23 deals with water tanks fishing and related licenses and procedures promoted for tourism purposes and eventually restricted in certain areas.
Other tasks of the Ministry are (i) collect information and data related to fishing; (ii) share the collected fishing information with Somaliland experts and neighboring countries, and regional and international organizations involved in marine and fisheries studies; (iii) authorize to conduct research on fisheries and other marine resources; (iv) authorize to conduct research on the biodiversity of Somaliland's marine reserves; (v) outline the timing of the closure of the fisheries, as well as the reasons for the closure; (vi) issue fishing licenses to national and foreign fishing vehicles and related fees; (vii) ensure that foreign vessels do not exceed the agreed weight of the fish, and they may not fish outside the contracted areas; (viii) issue fishing license to the companies that own fishing vessels and want to fish in Somaliland waters.