Israel’s Rape of Gaza’s Natural Resources: Part 3

UN_Map_of_fishing_zone Gaza, September 23, 2009, (Pal Telegraph) - When one looks at this offshore chart it is easy to see that really the people of Gaza have no way of achieving a commercially viable fishing industry. It has now collapsed and the entire stock of fish close to the shore has been totally depleted.

This chart is an official UN Chart but what does it mean? Why is it that year after year they keep showing a zone that continues to shrink? The same applies onshore whereby Palestine (that was once a large vibrant community) has now been reduced to small enclaves.

This so called two state policy is an absolute joke with West Bank in itself almost becoming two states (Israeli - Palestinian)

Lets briefly look at the disaster that has fallen upon the fishermen of Gaza and how the Israelis (with the help of the Palestinian Authority) have now asserted total control of the entire offshore waters. Some time ago I had the opportunity to visit Cyprus and met with many fishermen there who boasted about the days when they could fish in the offshore Gaza area. Fishing was excellent and prawning was even better with some very lucrative catches. The Cypriot fisherman remember the days when the Israel Navy slowly but forcible moved them out of the region.

Since the Oslo Accord and the Bertini Agreement we have seen the Israel Government exert its force onto the poor fishermen of Gaza. The original 20 nautical mile limit (which should have been 24 nautical miles) has never been upheld and likewise the Bertini 12 nautical mile limit failed to achieve it goal. What we have now is basically the fishermen go out and operate on a day to day basis in an area close to shore, the extent of which is controlled by the Israeli Navy.

Some time ago during talks on the offshore gas reserves President Abbas handed over the offshore security zone to Israel which it now controls.

Writing this article doesn't mean that I fully approve of the blockade. I believe that all negotiations made on behalf of Palestine are totally unacceptable to a point that the people of Palestine have been held to ransom. Many times we see a big brother type approach where they are forced to accept or suffer the consequences. However I also feel that President Abbas has in some cases accepted deals that would normally be totally unacceptable to others.

Let's now take a closer look at the fishing industry and see just how difficult it is for the fishermen of Gaza to maintain a viable industry. As we have previously discussed fishing offshore Gaza used to be extremely lucrative so what has changed to bring this industry into total collapse and why?

Fish_Cyprus This is part of a typical catch in Cyprus. I watched the fishing boats arrive in the evening with around 1500 kg of these Tuna type fish. Overnight they were shipped out and on their way to Europe. This gives a simple comparison of what can only be described as a very lucrative catch. The fish are separated into boxes after they have been weighed.

Most fishing takes place in deeper water and therefore this becomes the first obstacle for the fishermen of Gaza. The Israeli Navy continuously intimidates the fishermen and most of the time restricts them to closer inshore (inside around 3 km offshore).
When one goes out everyday (the same distance) you put enormous pressure on the systems ability to restock in a natural way. The zone becomes overfished and immature fish also get taken and therefore the chain is then broken. Eventually within a small timeframe the entire stock depletes and collapses.

To prove a point take a look at one such catch in Gaza and you can see from the photograph below that despite the manpower the yield is extremely small.

fish-gaza

Fisherman_Gaza

.In 2007 the UNHCR reported on the decline of Gaza's Fishing Industry and stressed the importance of allowing the fisherman to go about their daily lives in this vital industry. Fishing historically has been the only lifeline for the people of Gaza. It has been very much part of their daily life and nutritional intake. The UN has allowed the establishment of the deeply flawed Oslo Accord to decimate it.

EEZ Generally speaking each coastal state is entitled to its own EEZ which allows it access and control to all the natural resources that exist within its 200 nautical mile limit. In the case of Gaza it is not possible to gain such an extended marine zone as the borders between Israel and Egypt, when extended, converge into a sort of extended triangle shape. However, it may be possible to give Gaza a distance of around 60 nautical miles. If such a zone was established Gaza would be in a very good position to recover its lost fishing industry and also have the ability to continue searching for more oil and gas which is believed to be prolific in this area.