Gaza Fish Farms Face Closure
An alternative source of local fish, scarce due to Israel's blockade, Gaza's fish farms are struggling to compete with cheaper Egyptian imports.
When Hassan al-Shaer wandered around the Gaza Strip four years ago looking for his favorite kind of fish, gilt-head bream, he was surprised to find the coastal enclave no longer as rich in fish as it once was. With a decent amount of capital on hand, Shaer decided to invest in a large fish farm to compensate for the fish shortage in Rafah.
Fishing has always been a major profession for Gaza residents, but Israel’s restrictions on Gaza’s fishing zone have hindered Palestinians' ability to fish, leaving hundreds of fishermen out of work.
With local fresh fish scarce in Gaza’s markets, fishmongers turned to importing frozen Egyptian catches through the tunnels under the Egyptian-Palestinian border. Despite Egyptian fish being of lesser quality than local catches, its affordable price made it attractive to Gazans. Nonetheless, the appetite for local fish prompted the opening of dozens of fish farms in Gaza.
At the seafront overlooking Rafah, Shaer claims his farm for gilt-head bream is the largest in the Middle East. The 4,500-meter operation, called Fish Fresh, gets its water directly from the sea. Shaer imports the small bream, along with fish food, from Israel and Egypt.
