Feature: Egyptian fishermen struggle to survive overfishing, sluggish economy

Alaa Mohammed waited in vain for a whole night at the fishing harbor in Egypt's Damietta city, hoping to be hired by one of the fishing boat owners.

Mohammed, 30, who has one child, is a part-time fisherman from the village of Izbat al-Burj in the Mediterranean city of Damietta.

Mohammed used to be a professional fisherman and crew member on one of the biggest fishing boats in the city.

However, Mohammed lost his job two years ago when his boss decided to downsize due to the deteriorating fishing business which witnessed grim instability in the last couple of years.

Egyptian fishermen complained of reduced fish quantities in recent decades which both government and fishing experts attributed to overfishing.

"Currently I have no fixed job. I come to the pier daily hoping a fisherman or fish seller hires me for a day or two," said Mohammed, observing fishing boats as they harbored at the small wharf following a night fishing trip.

Mohammed says that even when he is hired he does not earn enough money.

"But I need to work to feed my family," he said explaining that he did not finish his education and has no other skill apart from fishing.

Mohammed said the fishing business is weak in winter, which means there are less job opportunities for him.

"Sometimes I work three days a month. The money I earn barely helps us survive," he said, sheltering his head from the early morning rain with a piece of wood.

Egypt is located in the northeast corner of the African continent, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Libya, the Gaza Strip, and the Red Sea.

The Nile River flows throughout the country in addition to over 10 relatively large lakes.

According to recent research by fishing expert Mohammed Samy, Egypt's fishing fleet increased by over 40 percent from 3,415 motorized boats in 1997 to 4,909 boats in 2012.

Most of these boats fish in the Mediterranean, whilst the rest fish in the Red Sea.

Research also revealed that total national seafood production has grown steadily in the last two decades due to rapid growth of aquaculture.

Total production in 2012 was approximately 1,371,975 tonnes, tripling the 457,036 tonnes in 1997.

"Around 35 percent of the catch come from the Mediterranean and Red Seas, along with the Nile River and lakes, whilst 65 percent comes from fish farms, as Egyptian fishermen have caught less fish in fresh waters since the late 1990s," the research uncovered.

However, Egypt's General Authority for Fisheries Resources Development (GAFRD) said the problem is not simply overfishing, but also poor distribution.

The vast majority of Egypt's fishing fleet operates from a cluster of ports at the mouth of the River Nile on the Mediterranean Sea, and from the port of Suez on the Red Sea.

All these boats are concentrated in a very small area, and operate less than five km from the shore.

Some are able to travel further out to sea, however they insist to work near the shore, travelling parallel to the coast until they reach Libya.

Despite all these issues, Mohammed still hopes that the industry will recover so he could get a permanent job as before.

However, it seems his hopes are still unattainable.

Saad Diab is a 70-year-old fisherman who employs eight part-time fishermen.

However, he must lay off three as he cannot afford their pay during the current deteriorating conditions.

"I can't say that the fishing business is very bad, but it is not like before. The problem is that prices of fishing equipment and fuel have skyrocketed and we do not catch large amounts of fish as before," said Diab, with his eye on his workers as they dropped off boxes of fish they caught.

Diab said he owns the boat jointly with his four brothers, and that it is the main source of income for about 60 family members.

"Most of the money we earn we spend on fuel, spare parts and equipment. Sometimes we go for a three-day fishing trip and catch nothing. This happens frequently these days," he said.

Years ago, Diab adds, fishing was a job for the rich, but currently, the change of weather and high fuel and equipment prices turned it into a very tough profession.

Fish seller Maher Zain al-Abdin believes the catch is less than previous years mainly because of over-fishing and the weather change which significantly reduced amounts and varieties of fish.

"Fishermen do not catch much due to winter and the boats don't stay for long in the sea because of the cold and windy weather," he said. "Catching fish generally in winter is rare."

He said the scarcity of fish forced many fishermen to risk their lives and go beyond Egypt's territorial waters searching for a substantial catch.

Zain al-Abdin added that the deteriorating business affected the income and livelihood of everyone working in the fishing industry.

"People do not purchase fish like before. Most of the peoples' financial conditions here are very poor and fish prices are too high for them," he said. Endit