Fisherman Khaled from Al Mukalla, who participated in training to improve his handling of fish, raised his income by reducing losses and catching higher quality fish ⎮ Photo: © GIZ

Fisherman Khaled from Al Mukalla reports: “Fish can now be sold at higher prices due to the improved quality of the catch”, leading to higher incomes of the fishermen.

Challenges in Yemen’s fishery sector

Supporting the Yemeni fishery sector, with a particular focus on fishing communities, can yield a triple win – strengthening the country’s economy, increasing incomes in coastal areas and contributing to improved food and nutrition security. However, Yemen’s fishery sector is confronted with several challenges which are limiting its capacity to deliver a triple win.

Deteriorated infrastructure

Key infrastructures of the sector such as fish landing sites and associated markets are in a bad condition. Especially along the Red Sea coast, a lot of infrastructure has been destroyed during the war, while the Arabian coast has borne the brunt of natural events such as cyclones, increasing in frequency due to climate change. Even before the war started, the government had struggled to raise the necessary funds to adequately maintain all landing sites along the more than 2,400 km long coastline.

Lack of essential services

Moreover, crucial service infrastructure such as fuel stations, health units, ice production facilities, administrative buildings to support landing site-level monitoring, as well as a connection to water and electricity networks are non-existent at most of the landing sites, especially outside of urban areas.

High levels of loss and waste

The combination of deteriorated infrastructures and lack of associated services has created framework conditions, in which much of the fish catch is becoming inedible or loses most of its nutritional value before reaching consumers.

“The fish in the market often spoils due to the lack of cleanliness,” says Khaled Rajab Al Buhaisi, fisherman in Al Mukalla, Hadhramaut. The result is a loss of revenue for fishermen, inefficient use of limited marine resources as well as food safety hazards.

Risk of overfishing and low levels of trust to improve governance

Furthermore, close to the shorelines where local fishermen with smaller boats need to operate, these marine resources have still not fully recovered from highly unsustainable practices of bottom trawling practiced by fishing companies in the years before the war. While no official stock assessment has been completed since the 1980s, anecdotal evidence indicates that several species are overfished.

Today, economic pressures on fishermen to pursue their livelihoods meet limited resources and capacities of the fisheries authority and the related ministry to monitor the sector. Additionally, authorities and fishermen, often organised in associations, mistrust each other and struggle to find effective agreements for local management of the marine resources.

Two workers implementing comprehensive construction works at the auction yard, as part of the rehabilitation of the Husaihusa landing site to establish the framework conditions for a hygienic working environment for fishermen and vendors    Visual: © GIZ

The intervention in Hadhramaut’s fishery sector

Strengthening Resilience and Participation on Local Level in Yemen (SRPL) is a multi-sectoral project aiming to strengthen resilience of vulnerable population groups, implemented by GIZ, financed by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

Participatory engagement of coastal communities as a foundation for project development

In light of the potential of the fishery sector as a key lever to promote positive and durable change, it was selected as one of the intervention areas of the project, following a participatory analysis of the needs by the GIZ team based in Al Mukalla, Hadhramaut in 2020.

Local authorities, fishermen associations and other actors were involved to understand how the foundation for a development of the sector could be laid together, always keeping fishing communities at the centre of programming efforts.

Key concerns raised were the bad condition of the infrastructures and the low income of the fishermen due to high costs for ice, fuel and spare parts as well as lower sales prices yielded.

Rehabilitating infrastructures, improving service delivery and training fishermen to reduce post-catch loss

In the past three years, SRPL project has substantially rehabilitated four landing sites – Hay Al Ummal landing site in Al Mukalla city, Ash Shihr landing site in Ash Shihr, Al Quarain landing site in Qussayer district and Husaihusa landing site in Broom & Mayf’a district – improving working conditions and hygiene for more than 13,000 fishermen. This was combined with extensive training for fishermen on fish handling and with the provision of fishing equipment, including ice boxes.

Intervention area of the GIZ SRPL project act in the fisheries sector, including the four areas in which landing sites were rehabilitated to improve framework conditions for fishermen⎮ Visual: © GIZ

Training to improve safety for fishermen at sea

Moreover, training was carried out to improve safety at sea and to reduce the number of severe accidents. Life jackets, GPS devices, navigation lights and other items improving the application of acquired knowledge into practice were provided.

Reducing costs for fishermen and create additional income for coastal households through value chain oriented training

Some of the landing sites in remote areas did not have qualified personnel and equipment to repair boats and to maintain engines. In the past fishermen had to take their broken equipment to the next town, adding to the time they couldn’t fish and pushing up the expense for repairs.

Awadh Bahmran, a fisherman from Ash Shir, highlights that there are times when fishermen are forced to take a break from going to sea due to high and fluctuating costs of spare parts, leading to high losses in revenue.

Trainer Noor Al-Dain Abdullag Ahmed Omar shows a young man how to repair a boat, during a training on boat repair in Ash Shihr, aiming to improve local service delivery, reduce costs for fishermen and provide income opportunities for trainees ⎮ Visual: © GIZ

To improve the availability of essential services at all landing sites and to create new job opportunities, 122 young men have already been trained on boat repair and engine maintenance. The project will also support fisher associations in setting up small workshops at landing sites without adequate facilities. Asked about the training participants explained how the session had enabled them to help their families in repairing boats, thereby saving them a lot of money. Others reported opening their own businesses.

Two young men get hands-on training in boat engine maintenance, during a training in Broom & Mayfa’a district, aiming at providing livelihoods along the value chain and reducing costs for local fishermen ⎮ Visual: © GIZ

Strengthening cooperatives and improving collaboration and mutual trust of actors

In addition to supporting the fishermen individually, the project also strengthened fishermen associations. Six associations received bigger boats with integrated cooling systems. These boats allow fishermen to travel longer distances, avoid overcrowded fishing grounds, reduce operational costs per trip and improve the quality of the fish caught.

Another challenge was the mistrust between the fishermen associations and the General Fisheries Authority of the Arabian Sea. The project encouraged the local actors at each landing site to get together with a mediator and discuss about points of contention. This was accompanied with a training on conflict resolution. As a result of these facilitated discussions, the relationship was improved and management committees bringing together stakeholders from both sides were formed at district level to jointly govern marine resources sustainably. The project will continue supporting these management committees to improve the governance of resources and ensure their sustainability.

Spotlight – Recognizing the role of women in the fishery sector

Women have always played an important role in the fish value chain but have long been neglected by initiatives and projects. While fishing itself is a male-dominated activity, women are greatly involved in fish processing, such as drying and canning, production of salt to dry fish, weaving of nets, preparing and selling fish dishes and many more.

This project aims to change this lack in recognition by creating income opportunities for women and strengthening their representation. Until today, 145 women have already participated in different training activities raising their incomes.

Members of the newly established women’s section of Al Mukalla Fisheries association learning how to handle the fish for further preservation as part of a training on fish processing methods to economically empower women in coastal households ⎮ Visual: © GIZ

Skills training for women along the fishery value chain to raise their incomes

It all started with a training in Ash Shihr for 25 women in fish processing and preservation.

Looking back, Mona Al-Bahri describes this initial training organized by GIZ as a “window that opened for us”.

Not only did the owner of the local fish factory Al Watania offered the participants employment, impressed with their new skills acquired, this also motivated a group of women to continue learning and also opening perspectives for other.

The project supported the women in establishing a women’s section at the Mukalla fishermen association, giving them a platform for their needs within the association but also in negotiations with the local authorities. After its establishment, the women’s section was also provided with office equipment and training on identifying needs in their communities, developing small project proposals and using the provided computers to illustrate and communicate them to potential partners. As a result, they were able to independently train 325 women in various areas such as sewing, hair dressing and henna colouring, highlighting the transformative impact of the initial support.

Two members of the women section of the Al Mukalla fishermen cooperative working on a practical exercise of an administrative skills training, provided by the GIZ SRPL project together with the office equipment, to enhance their management capacities ⎮ Visual: © GIZ

Increasing the political representation of women in the fishery sector

Fatima Ba-Humaish, a representative of the association, also voiced the needs of women active in the fishery value chain at an international fishery conference in Amman. In recognition for her efforts and capacities in promoting the needs of women, she received a job offer from the General Fisheries Authority for the Arabian Sea (GFAAS) to coordinate women-related activities in the fisheries sector of Hadhramaut.

Inspired by this success story, the project will continue supporting existing and newly established women’s sections and enable them to share knowledge and best practices with each other.

Country Context

With the ongoing war in its 11th year, Yemenis continue to face a wide range of challenges. More than 4.5 million have been displaced at least once because of the war[1], around 50% of the country’s population will be in need for food and agriculture assistance during 2025 and the country hosts the highest number of cholera cases worldwide[2].

Inflation as key driver of food insecurity

A main driver of food insecurity, especially in areas controlled by the Internationally Recognised Government (IRG) is the rampant inflation of food prices. While in January 2017 an average family of 7 persons living together in one home in IRG areas needed to spend 22,017 Yemeni Rial, in December 2024 the same family required 158,157 Yemeni Rial – representing a more than sixfold increase (617%)[3], mainly driven by the great depreciation of the YER against the USD. During the same period, daily wages of unskilled workers (357% growth) and of semi-skilled workers (275,8% growth) only tripled, leading to a drastic reduction in real purchasing power for Yemenis without access to income in USD.

Moreover, after a decade of war, the Covid-19 pandemic as well as increasing prices of imports as a consequence of the Russia Ukraine war and the attacks on shipping lanes by the Houthis, the already strained resources of the Yemeni government took another hit with the embargo on oil export of the IRG by the Houthis. This contributed to a 42% drop in government fiscal revenues in the first half of 2024[4]. In this context, the fishery sector represents a key lever to improve the overall situation of the country.

Fishery is important to Yemen’s economy

Before the onset of the war, 40-50% of the countries annual production of around 200,000 tonnes was exported[5] and in 2022, fish products constituted the second biggest group of exports after crude petroleum[6]. These exports have become an even more crucial source of foreign exchange after the oil export embargo – urgently needed to stabilise the national currency and to refinance expenditures for government services.

Fisheries as key livelihood and source of nutrition for coastal populations

In addition to its importance for the government, fishing and fishing-related activities have been estimated to be the main source of income for 1.7 million members of coastal households[7]. The entire fishery value chain provides employment for about 20% of the population in coastal areas[8]. Moreover, fish is a highly nutritious food, rich in protein, omega3 fats and certain vitamins and trace elements.

In a nutshell, supporting the Yemeni fishery sector, with a particular focus on fishing communities, can yield a triple win – strengthening the country’s economy, increasing incomes in coastal areas and contributing to improved food and nutrition security.

Young fisherman presenting proudly his huge catch ⎪ Visual: © GIZ

Footnotes

[1] DTM Yemen (2024). ANNUAL RAPID DISPLACEMENT TRACKING REPORT 2024. IOM. https://dtm.iom.int/dtm_download_track/72656?file=1&type=node&id=48801

[2] ACAPS, FAO,UNICEF, WFP, WHO, and the World Bank (2025) YEMEN JOINT MONITORING REPORT. January 2025 https://reliefweb.int/attachments/beae724c-ae87-44f9-aaf4-99f0a697f568/ACAPS%20Yemen%20Monitoring%20report7%20%2020250131.pdf

[3] FAO (2025). Market Information System. Microsoft Power BI

[4] WB (2024). Yemen Faces Mounting Economic Challenges as Conflict Continues, Regional Tensions Escalate. https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2024/10/31/yemen-faces-mounting-economic-challenges-as-conflict-continues-regional-tensions-escalate

[5] Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation & Fish Wealth (2022). Plan to Strengthen the Role of the Agriculture, Irrigation and Fish Wealth Sector to Improve Food Security (2023-2027). https://maif-ye.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Plan-of-MAIF-2023-2027-1.pdf

[6] OEC (2022). Yemen Country Profile. https://oec.world/en/profile/country/yem

[7] Alfarah, Ammar Mohammed (2018). The Impact of the War in Yemen on Artisanal Fishing of the Red Sea. LSE Middle East Centre. http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/91022/

[8] UNDP (2020). Fishery Value Chain. https://www.undp.org/sites/g/files/zskgke326/files/migration/ye/Fishery-VC-Study.pdf

Author

Johannes Becker, Junior Advisor at SRPL (johannes.becker@giz.de)

Contact

Eike Vater, Head of SRPL Programme (eike.vater@giz.de)