They've made headlines around the world, collected millions of dollars in ransom, and terrorized the high seas.

But despite their notoriety, little is known about the pirates who have been hijacking ships off the coast of Somalia for the past decade.

The relatively lawless nature of Somali society, where a functioning federal government has been all but missing for more than a decade, has created a lack of knowledge about who is behind the spate of ship hijackings in recent months.

Even one of the world's foremost experts on international piracy says there is limited information about the makeup of the pirate ships because most of their crews come from isolated villages in a remote part of Somalia, the quasi-independent region called Puntland.

But Peter Lehr, a professor of terrorism studies, says scholars and security experts have concluded that most of the crew members on the Somali pirate ships are not what most people would imagine pirates to be from the movies or novels. Forget images of seafaring bearded men with eye patches and hooks for hands, he says.

Instead, the crews on the Somali boats are sometimes no older than pubescent boys. They generally range in age from teenagers to men in their thirties. And the phrase "pirate" is probably not the most accurate term for people who have generally spent their lives as fishermen. Ironically, that's what makes them good pirates.

"(They) have very good maritime skills because of their fishing background," Lehr told CTV.ca by phone from Britain.

At one time, those skills would have allowed the men to provide for their families. But Somalia's collapse into near anarchy since the 1990s has left the country's economy in shambles.

Lehr, a lecturer at the University of St. Andrews, says there's also pressure from international fishermen competing for increasingly depleting fisheries stocks.

So, it's no surprise, he says, that out-of-work Somali boys and men are lured by easy money.

"There's no problem recruiting. (Piracy is) a surefire way to get rich," Lehr said.

The lure of easy money

A teenager can make several thousand dollars in a matter of weeks, says Lehr. In one of the most high profile hijackings to date, Somali pirates who captured a Saudi oil tanker this past week have demanded US$25 million dollars in return for the ship, its $100 million cargo, and the crew.

By some estimates, the North African pirates have had a stellar year, collecting as much as $150 million in ransom, according to officials in Kenya. Puntland, which is the home and hideaway for many of the pirates and their ships, has an annual budget of only $20 million.

So it's not difficult to see why "piracy begins ashore," says Derek Reveron, a national security professor at the Naval War College in Rhode Island.

He said that piracy is also an issue in Asia, but not to the extent found in eastern Africa. Asian governments have relatively effective militaries and coast guards, but pirates in Somalia have little to worry about from authorities, who can easily be bribed.

"Unless navies are willing to go in and take these ships by force, we can't do anything about (the piracy)," Reveron told CTV.ca.

The fact is, he said, that many of the pirates do not take their ransoms and hide. They don't have to. They can go home to their families and spend their money openly because they have little fear of capture.

Reveron also noted that there is not much appetite in the international arena for direct military action. That's especially true in the U.S., where images from the country's last intervention in the country remain strong.

"The 'Blackhawk Down' image is highly associated with Somalia," he said, noting that a military intervention should not be the only solution.

"Any solution must address short-term needs of providing safe maritime lanes, destroying pirate boats at sea, supporting security teams aboard vessels, and dismantling pirate networks ashore," he wrote in a blog for the influential Atlantic Council of the United States.

The international community doesn't appear to be shirking from using at least limited force against the pirates. Just this week, the Indian navy shot at and destroyed the pirates' suspected "mother ship."

But such an attack may only serve to embolden pirates in the future, Lehr said.

"Pirates know now that they might be killed," he said.

"We could spark an escalation of violence ... (the pirates) may use deadly force just to make a point."

Both Lehr and Reveron say curbing illegal international fishing in the region may be a start to curtailing the piracy. That would give Somali fishermen unfettered access to the waters off their shores, decrease competition and increase their incomes. It's a solution that Lehr promoted in an article published in the Guardian.

But Lehr was careful to point out that may no longer be enough. He told CTV.ca making money through piracy is a lot quicker and easier than fishing, which is a tough and dangerous business.

He said the young pirates are flashing their ransom cash around when they get back to their hometowns, buying everything they can. Plus, fishermen don't get as many girls.

"Some of the pirates get about $75,000 for a two-week run. In Somalia, that's a fortune," he said.

"Young girls are seeing real wedding parties. There are lots of dowries being paid. What kind of fishermen can afford that?"