Illegal fishing to boost piracy?

Several dhows hijacked in recent weeks.

Rise in illegal fishing threatens to revive Somali piracy

BY DRAZEN JORGIC

(Reuters) – A rise in illegal fishing off Somalia could spark a resurgence in piracy, UnitedNations and Somali fishing officials have warned, nearly three years after the pirates’ last successful hijacking in the Indian Ocean.

The last outbreak of Somali piracy cost the world’s shipping industry billions of dollars as pirates paralyzed shipping lanes, kidnapped hundreds of seafarers and seized vessels more than 1,000 miles from Somalia’s coastline.

Since then, growing use of private security details and the presence of international warships have effectively neutered the pirates. Yet one side effect of this decline has been a rise in illegal fishing, with trawler captains increasingly confident they can operate with impunity, Somali officials say.

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Source: reuters.com