The impact of the war in Yemen on artisanal fishing of the Red Sea

In March 2015, a military coalition formally led by Saudi Arabia began aerial bombardment on Yemen. The Saudi command declared that ‘Operation Decisive Storm’ was going to be a short campaign. Three and a half years later, the war continues. This study aims to identify marked changes in the socio-economic relations of artisanal fishing in Yemen since the onset of the war. It adopts a descriptive approach based on surveys, focus groups and comparative analysis. The study concludes that collaboration, solidarity, integration and partnership characterise the socio-economic relations of artisanal fishing and the communities of fishermen in the Red Sea coastal governorates of Yemen. The study reveals that damages from the war have affected all aspects of the artisanal fishing sector. It shows that damages from the ongoing war on the artisanal fishing sector have had a considerable impact on fishermen, fishing inputs, marine ecosystems, infrastructure, all parts of fishing operations, all stakeholders involved in fish processing and marketing and the development of the fishing sector.