Gaza's fishermen struggle to keep afloat
Gazan fishermen keep up the tradition of making their nets by hand, although fishing is becoming more and more difficult under the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Fishing is not always a peaceful time at sea for Gaza’s fishermen, who follow in the footsteps of their fathers and grandfathers. They are allowed only to catch the fish in a small area close to the shore due to Israeli restrictions, and if they go beyond the permitted fishing zone they risk being shot at or losing their boats.
Yet Palestinian fishermen still hold on to their trade, which has passed on to them for generations, fishing off the coast of the Gaza Strip and making their own fishing nets by hand.
In the port of Gaza, dozens of fishermen sit under canopies, amid their nets, either repairing those that are damaged or making new ones with basic tools such as hooks and pins to knot the silk and nylon threads.
Fisherman Saadi Jarad works from dawn to dusk making and repairing fishing nets for his sons, for whom the trade is the only source of the family's livelihood.
