Scientific research
Original work on fish stocks, marine biodiversity, oceanography, aquaculture and climate-related impacts, converted into assessments authorities can act on.
Established 2014 · Bosaso · Bari Region
The scientific institution for Somalia’s marine and fisheries sector.
SMAFRI generates the evidence on which fisheries management, marine conservation and blue-economy investment can rest — and trains the people who work the resource.
2014Founded in Bosaso
8Diploma cohorts graduated
11Vocational skills cohorts
10Strategic research pillars
How SMAFRI works
From coastline evidence to people and policy.
1. Research
Stock assessment, oceanography, biodiversity and field sampling.
2. Data
Catch, effort, biological and spatial records under institutional custody.
3. Train
Diploma, vocational trades and working-fishermen courses from that science.
4. Advise
Management notes, policy briefs and technical guidance Government can act on.
The Institute at a glance
A governed research institute on Somalia’s longest coastline.
Somalia has the potential to support a productive fishing industry. That potential is constrained by market demand, fishing technology, and inconsistent management. Two of those three constraints are knowledge constraints — and SMAFRI is the institutional answer to that gap.
The Institute is the marine and fisheries research institution of Somalia, based in Bosaso. It integrates scientific research, marine science education to Diploma level, vocational skills development, scientific data, laboratories (in establishment), conservation and blue-economy innovation. It operates under By-Laws, a Governing Board and a Director General, in statutory coordination with the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources.
SMAFRI is the same continuing institution that operated from 2014 under its former identity as the Somali Marine & Fisheries Science Institute (SMAFSI / SMFSI). All past works, qualifications and partnership commitments are those of that institution.
Field and workshop instruction at the Institute’s Bosaso facilities, on the eastern side of the port.
Three functions, one institution
Research. Education. Advice.
A marine economy depends on all three. SMAFRI holds them in a single governed framework — unusual anywhere in the region.
Education and training
A three-level ladder: short professional courses, vocational certificates in eight trades, and a two-year Diploma in Marine Science.
Evidence-based advice
Technical advice to the Ministry, contracted services to industry and partners, and the national marine and fisheries data resource now being built.
Strategic programme
Ten pillars. Knowledge generated, transmitted and applied.
01
Marine & fisheries research
Original scientific knowledge on Somalia’s marine ecosystems and fisheries resources.
01
02
02
Marine science & oceanography
Physical, chemical and biological oceanography of coastal and shelf waters, related to fisheries productivity.
03
Fisheries science & management
Stock status converted into management advice that fisheries authorities can defend.
03
04
04
Marine conservation
Biodiversity, critical habitats, vulnerable species and pressures on the coastal environment.
05
Aquaculture & fisheries technology
Systems, gear and post-harvest methods appropriate to Somali conditions.
05
06
06
Marine science education
Diploma-level professionals for the sector’s technical workforce.
07
Vocational & professional training
Marketable skills for youth, women and working fishermen, and a safer artisanal fleet.
07
08
08
Fisheries data & information
The national marine and fisheries data resource, usable for management and research.
09
Laboratory & scientific services
Analytical capability for research, teaching and service delivery — the Institute’s immediate development priority.
09
10
10
Innovation, partnerships & transfer
Connection to the regional scientific system, and knowledge that reaches those who can use it.
Delivery record
An institution the sector already relies on.
From 2017 the Institute has designed, staffed, delivered and accounted for fisheries programmes along the Bari coast — including in remote districts where few institutions operate. That operational capability is the foundation on which the research mandate now stands.
- Implementation partner, FAO-supported RAAISE Growth in Somalia (2024)
- Implementation partner, UNDP SAAMEYNTA / Somalia Joint Fund
- PIMS programme with DAI, DFID and DANIDA funding (2017–2018)
- Technical support to the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources
Notices
All notices
News from the Institute
Laboratory platform named as the Institute’s immediate scientific priority
The laboratories are designed and sequenced. Facilities, equipment and analytical staffing remain the investment that would most rapidly extend scientific capability.
SMAFRI issues its 2026 Institutional Profile
The profile presents the identity, mandate, governance, scientific programme and delivery record of the Somalia Marine and Fisheries Research Institute.
Eight Diploma cohorts and eleven vocational cohorts graduated
The Institute’s own academic and vocational programmes have produced eight Diploma cohorts and eleven vocational skills cohorts for Somalia’s marine sector.
Education ladder
Enter at the level that matches your preparation.
Each level is a genuine entry point and a genuine exit point — from an evening course back to sea, to a Diploma and technical employment.
1
Short courses
Days to a few weeks. Open entry for most programmes. Safety, inspection and professional refreshers.
Certificate of attendance2
Vocational trades
Eight core fisheries trades. Weeks to one year. Workshop and field instruction.
Occupational certificate3
Diploma
Two years, four semesters, plus a supervised field attachment and research project.
Diploma in Marine Science
Partnership
A resident counterpart on a scientifically significant, data-poor coastline.
Universities, research institutes, UN agencies and development partners work with SMAFRI because the Institute can mobilise on the Bari coast, account for public funds, and hold a long-term data series.