Traditional job in Gaza: fishing under adverse circumstances


Status: 09.08.2021 6:01 p.m.

Fishing is a traditional profession in Gaza and is passed down from generation to generation. But the fishermen in the Palestinian Territory are suffering massively from the economic consequences of the tensions with Israel.

By Eva Lell, ARD Studio Tel Aviv

A normal morning in the port of Gaza City. Ali Moati is out and about in his fishing boat. “When we go out to fish, it is important that we have the nets and fishing rods with us, food to feed the fish – and enough gasoline or diesel,” he says. The fishermen are out for two to 24 hours. “The boat belongs to my father, we usually go out with our people and ten fishermen,” says Moati. There are still 4,000 fishermen in the Gaza Strip. Twenty years ago it was more than twice as much. Up to 70,000 people live directly or indirectly from fishing. But many fishermen live below the poverty line.

Ali Moati with son Abdel at the helm of his ship.

Image: Eva Lell / ARD-Studio Tel Aviv

Fear of fire

Ziad Jarbua is also on board Moati’s fishing boat. The men in his family have been fishermen for generations, he says. “I inherited this job from my father, from his father.” Jarbua goes out every day if the weather permits – and if Israel does not close the fishing zone. This was most recently the case during the military conflict between radical Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the Israeli army in May. The fishing zone is currently twelve nautical miles, i.e. around 22 kilometers. As soon as there is political tension, the fishing zone is restricted – to six or nine nautical miles.

“We have a lot of experience, we can estimate the distance with our eyes or measure the depth of the sea. Nowadays there is also technology that helps,” says Jarbua. He and his colleagues are also afraid, because fishermen who leave the zone are repeatedly shot at by the Israeli or Egyptian army. “If there is a technical defect on board, we are sometimes driven by the current beyond the permitted zone,” says the fisherman. “Then Israeli patrol boats come and shoot.”

No electricity, no ice

Fear is always with us on the boat, confirms Hishem Bakkr. He is the head of the Gaza City Fisheries Union. “The fishermen suffer a lot from the fluctuations in the fishing zone between six, nine and twelve nautical miles,” says Bakkr. “The colleagues are insecure and are afraid of the Israelis.” The fishermen also feel the restriction of the zone at the catch. At twelve nautical miles they catch an average of five tons a day; when the zone is halved, it’s only a ton and a half. In Gaza, too, they notice that the Mediterranean is overfished and polluted. “Environmental factors play a major role,” confirms trade unionist Bakkr. “There used to be more fish in the Mediterranean. We used to catch 15 to 20 tonnes a day, today just a quarter.”

Since the clash in May, fishermen have had another problem – on land. “This is the only ice cream factory in the Gaza Strip,” demonstrates Bakkr in a large hall and opens the door to a cold store. “We supply all fishermen in the Gaza Strip with ice so that they can cool their catch on board. Without a solar system, the factory can only use the electricity that is available to everyone in Gaza. The electricity is regularly switched off for eight hours, after which the small factory does not produce any ice cream; it then has to be bought from abroad at great expense.

The situation for fishermen in Gaza is getting worse, reports Tyseer Abu Hasira.

Image: Eva Lell / ARD-Studio Tel Aviv

Fish as a luxury good

Gaza’s situation is evident from the fisheries: many fishermen are poor and many people in Gaza cannot afford the fish. Tyseer Abu Hasira is a fishmonger in the market hall at the port of Gaza City. He reports that the situation has gradually deteriorated. “Even the employees and dealers who have work are not doing so well,” he says. And for him, too, that means that business is going badly. “As you can see, there are hardly any customers. Fish is very expensive for the population. The economic situation is very bad, people have no purchasing power.” The average population can only afford sardines. Other fish such as sea bream, shark or rays are reserved for the wealthy.

The fishermen of Gaza

Eva Lell, BR, August 9, 2021 5:09 pm



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