Israel's sea access restrictions threaten the sustainability of fish stocks off the coast of the Gaza Strip

(Personal research work)

Israel's restrictions on sea access have led to the over-fishing of accessible stocks off the coast of Gaza. Under the Oslo Accords, Gaza Strip fishers are entitled to fish 20 nautical miles off the zone L coastline of the Gaza Strip, that is the central maritime zone of Gaza. In 2000, after the second Intifada, fishing in zone L was restricted to 6 nautical miles, resulting in a further reduction of the fishing zone for approximately the same number of boats (trawlers, purse seines and small boats). The consequences of this excessive fishing effort are: the degradation of fishery resources, the dissipation of food production potential and economic waste.

Fishers have been reported to use smaller mesh size nets resulting in the catching of young/undersized fish which will not reach maturity and thus will not replenish the seacoast and are not even be marketable. Half a tonne of fish a day is dumped because fish are too small or non marketable. Also, it seems that Palestinian fishers have started fishing breeding grounds. In the face of this, the Fisheries Directorate in Gaza is hand tied, as it does not have the capacity to implement regulations. Further fisheries management practices are few (but do exist, e.g. closing fishing season, withdrawal of small fish specimen on the fish market) and regulations are inadequate.

In 2003, the annual catch was 1,083 metric tons, mostly sardines, followed by mackerel, swimming crab, cuttlefish, horse mackerel, prawns and little tunny (sources: Palestinian National Authority Ministry of Agriculture). This represents a considerable decrease compared to 2002 when annual catch was 2,379 metric tons (sources: Food and Agriculture Organization, Fishstats). Seamus Dunne, Senior Social Development Officer for the International Management Group, a body working with the European Commission (DG Development) says that estimates taken from 5 years pre Intifada and 5 years post Intifada show that fish catches decrease 2,38 tonnes/day along the coast of Gaza Strip. At this rate, the fishing industry in Gaza has little left to live.

In the meantime, foreign flagged boats are said to be operating off the coast of Gaza reducing even further the social and economic opportunities the sea offers to Palestinians.

Has the disengagement from Gaza changed anything? To be continued