photo Munir Qablan- Hassan Ghanem returned from his journey in the sea of Tire (southern Lebanon), and here he is in the port of the fishermen to save his net, not from the abundant fish, but from the outstanding waste, in a scene that tells the daily suffering of the fishermen in southern Lebanon, due to the bitter reality of the sea and its negative reflection on the livelihood of the fishermen.
Fish wealth declined
The fishermen who met Al -Jazeera Net in the port of the fishermen in the city of Tire, that the fish wealth is in a large and dangerous decline, as there are different types in the Lebanese sea that are missing, due to the natural factors and the pollution of the sea with various types of pollutants, while Ghanem confirms that it decreased by 90%.
In turn, the deputy head of the Fisheries Syndicate in Tire, Sami Rizk, in his interview with Al -Jazeera Net, notes that the seasons that were relied upon in the past no longer exist, “We entered the spring season but to no avail”, due to the cause of natural factors that led to the change of fish types, as fish entered from the Red Sea, and other types that the Lebanese fisherman relied on, as well And the Al -Bawarj movement in it.
The Israeli war has exacerbated the crisis
The fishing sector in Lebanon was not immune to the results of the war, since the outbreak of the war on October 7, 2023, there has been difficulty to reach the sea, especially with continuous warnings that the Israeli occupation army had launched for fishermen and citizens because they did not go to the sea and the beach, while its marches launched their missiles on fishermen that were on the city’s beach on October 23, 2024, and that led For the martyrdom of two of them.
This naval embargo throughout the war (which stopped at the end of November 2024), especially as it expanded after September 23, 2024, led to the displacement of fishermen from the south towards Beirut, and their boats remained empty for long periods, causing them with heavy economic losses.
Union Rizk indicates that the war gradually reduced the work of the fishermen until it became almost paralyzed, until it reached September 27, 2024, when the fishermen stopped working for about 3 and a half months, as the situation was very bad, which forced the fishermen to displace.
Rizk notes that severe damages were caused to the boats, as she stopped working for long periods and now she needs maintenance, in addition to damage to the net due to her exposure to sunlight, which increased their material losses, as well as the expenses they spent instead of renting housing and providing food and transportation during the war.
The fisherman, Adel Al -Abedi, confirms that after the sea for about 3 months due to the war, he caused great losses, as these months are essential to him as a holy, as he does not have any other source of decent living and says: I am the head of a family and I have obligations.
Mustafa Shaheen, a fisherman and owner of a fish in the city of Tire, confirms that the war affected all fishermen, and explains how he was prevented from hunting at sea permanently because of the Israeli threats, and notes that some were descending to the beach only to put the window and hunt, perhaps he returned with some fish to sell and secure the livelihood of his day.
Illegal hunting is rising
The illegal hunting has always been the most prominent problem that threatens fish wealth in Lebanon, as some fishermen who strike the marine fishing law resort to the wall, which stipulates the size of the window openings allowed to use, as well as the use of toxins or explosives in fishing operations, in order to maintain this wealth, but some find in the prohibitions a valuable opportunity to harvest the largest possible number Explosions that kill everything alive below the sea.
The fisherman Ghanem notes that the problem of explosives is very large, as the fisherman takes advantage of the gathering of fish with each other, and throws the dynamite on them to explode, and this leads to the destruction of all fish of all sizes and says: “Dynamite is used under water and destroys all living organisms, and the sea bottom becomes like the desert free of life, even the sponge that was present in abundance, He disappeared completely due to these materials that are thrown into the sea. “
No compensation yet
Despite the ceasefire between Lebanon and the Israeli occupation of more than 3 months, and with the return of the fishermen to their boats to save what could be saved from this sector, these people did not receive any assistance from the Lebanese state, which exacerbated the repercussions of the crisis on them, and this may lead them to leave the sea and search for another source of livelihood.
In this context, the union, Rizk, refers to the union’s communication with the state and with the Supreme Relief Commission, the South Council and the institutions in particular, but to no avail, and noted that in all the wars that passed through Lebanon in 1996 and 2006, aid was provided to the fishermen from the state and the relevant authorities, but today no one was asked about the state of the fishermen.
The fisherman appealed to the state that the fishermen and the sea pay the necessary attention, since 70% to 80% of the fishermen have stopped working, and he says: “Look at the boats, you will not find anyone, and in the sea you will not find fish, and the state must support us and support us, and to chase the violators who cause pollution From these calamities, we can secure fish for the local market if we can protect the sea and support the fishermen, instead of paying the huge sums to import fish from abroad.
Ministry of Agriculture
The director of rural development and natural resources at the Lebanese Ministry of Agriculture, Shadi Muhanna, in a special interview with Al -Jazeera Net, pointed out that the Ministry of Agriculture stressed the application of laws, led by the Maritime Fishing Law for the protection of marine wealth, but it does not hide our profession that there is a significant shortage of the number of guards and hunting at the ministry, and their actual number today is 140 out of 360, and this number is for all Lebanon, and thus the process of monitoring is difficult in light of this significant deficiency.
“We are cooperating with the security forces and the Lebanese army in order to suppress the violations that occur in the sea while they are carrying out great tasks in this context, and we hope that we will reach the vacancies in these centers and enable observers, in order to carry out these tasks soon.”
Regarding compensation to the fishermen as a result of the war, he stressed the need to compensate for the losses resulting from the war, whether in the boats or in the window, noting that there are 8 fishermen who were martyred during the war, stressing that the ministry is working to provide appropriate support in cooperation with the donors to all agricultural sectors, and not only the fishing sector, because they realize the importance of this sector.
Muhanna concluded by emphasizing that the Ministry of Agriculture has projects to develop the fishing sector, and there are projects that offer new windows that identify the specifications of the Tire and the South, and the ministry is also working with the World Bank and other donors to evaluate the urgent needs, to provide rapid support for fishermen.
