Piracy off Somalia's coast would fall sharply if the country's economy was more developed, a study says. It adds that local elites and communities in remote areas protect pirates because they lack an income. Foreign navies have a strong presence around Somalia in order to keep shipping lanes safe. This has led to a decline in attacks off the Somali coast, with the UN estimating that about 40 people are still being held by pirates. At the peak of their activity three years ago, the pirates held more than 700 crew members and more than 30 ships. The World Bank estimates that pirates netted more than 400 million dollars in ransom money between 2005 and 2012.