Exclusive economic zone of Somalia

The bill extended Somalia's territorial sea to 200 nautical miles within the continental and insular coasts.

[3] On 9 February 1989, the Somali parliament ratified the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

The treaty defines the rights and responsibilities of nations with respect to their use of the world's oceans, and establishes guidelines for businesses, the environment, and the management of marine Natural resources.

[8] The abundance in fisheries in the area is a result of the coastal upwelling of cold nutrient-rich subsurface oceanic waters.

The upwelling results in the enrichment of phytoplankton and zooplankton, which, in turn, make the conditions favorable for some small pelagic fish such as sardines, herring, and scad.