Socio-economic drivers and governance failures in the artisanal exploitation of marine turtles along the Mogadishu and Adale Coasts, Somalia

Empirical data on artisanal marine turtle extraction in Somalia remains exceptionally scarce. This study documents the socio-economic drivers, operational methods, and local perceptions surrounding the illicit capture of marine turtles at artisanal landing sites along the Mogadishu and Adale coasts. Using purposive and snowball sampling, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 25 active artisanal fishermen and 5 institutional informants (N = 30). Respondents described extraction not as incidental bycatch, but a targeted, commercialised activity primarily impacting Green (Chelonia mydas) and vulnerable Loggerhead (Caretta caretta) turtles. The economic incentive is substantial, with intact turtles commanding up to 120 USD. Demand is heavily influenced by ethnobiological beliefs regarding turtle derivatives treating tuberculosis and asthma—uses unsupported by clinical evidence that expose consumers to chelonitoxism and heavy metal bioaccumulation risks. Reported frequencies are presented as counts of the 25 fishermen respondents with percentages and 95% confidence intervals, and represent recalled self-report from a small non-probability sample rather than verified catch records. Fishers primarily use large-mesh Ildheer gillnets in nearshore seagrass beds. Despite federal prohibitions under the Somali Fisheries Law, local enforcement at artisanal landing sites is functionally absent, mirroring constraints in Somalia’s industrial fisheries. These findings suggest that purely top-down enforcement is insufficient in this fragile governance context. Locally negotiated co-management arrangements, combined with targeted public health messaging regarding the severe toxicological risks of turtle consumption, represent a more viable, evidence-based policy direction.