Somalia-based NGO Marine Research and Coastal Development (MARCOD) Center is partnering with Madrid, Spain-based satellite communications company Satlink on a new marine debris clean-up project targeting the waters around Somalia.
“This agreement marks a turning point in the recovery of end-of-life fishing technology in Somalia, opening new possibilities for local fisheries and environmental management along mainland Africa’s longest coastline,” Satlink said in a release.
Beginning in 2026, the two organizations will deploy Project ReCon resources to find and remove end-of-life fishing gear and other pollutants in the water as a first-of-its-kind project in Somalia. Project ReCon is a 2022 project launched by Satlink which finds buoys that have become unusable and recycles them for reuse rather than throwing them away. Recovered devices have been transformed into VMS devices for local fishing vessels or utilized for tagging and tracking marine debris. Project ReCon has spread to 24 countries and territories with support from more than 150 fishing vessels and 25 companies, according to the MARCOD Center.
“Fishers’ safety is crucial for coastal communities all along the Somali coast,” MARCOD Center Co-Founder and Director Abdishakur Farah said. “Likewise, marine debris and stranded fishing equipment have been a visible and growing challenge for all our coastal communities. Project ReCon gives us access to technology to tackle these issues in both a practical and sustainable way.”
Satlink and the MARCOD Center said in a release that the collaboration in Somalia’s ocean aims to both reduce marine debris and promote safety for artisanal fishers. Additionally, as ReCon works in all tropical tuna fishing areas, Somalia’s geographical location bordering the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden is a key area to protect for Project ReCon.
“We are so happy to welcome MARCOD Center into the Project ReCon network,” Satlink Head of Science and Sustainability Kathryn Gavira said. “In a coastal region as sensitive and challenging as Somalia, we cannot think of better partners to bring this project to life. Together, we are not only tackling marine debris and advancing fisheries sustainability, but we are also building stronger coastal communities in the long term.”
