New obstacles arise for local fishers in Mina Jal el-Baher as the economic crisis worsens, leading to an increase in costs and decrease in demand for the sector already abandoned by the government.
As the dollar rate rises to almost 15,000 Lebanese Liras, all the imported products are naturally rising as well. The Fish Industry, like most industries and sectors in Lebanon, also heavily relies on imports. More than 80% of aquatic products are imported from more than 126 countries with Turkey taking the lead as the country with most fishery exports to Lebanon according to a 2018 report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in collaboration with the Lebanese Ministry of Agriculture.
The remaining 20% of fishery is mostly locally sourced. Local aquatic products are either sold in small fishmonger shops or fish markets such as Karantina Fish Market. Such markets were described by Hamza Sleit, President of the Fishers of Jal el Baher Coop (تعاونيّة صيّادي ميناء جل البحر), as “primitive”.
“The fishers in the Mina either sell their fish to their regular customers, or they have to resort to markets such as Karantina [Fish Market]. The market there is underdeveloped. Even our fishing techniques are primitive. We do not have advanced boats for mass fishing” says Sleit.
“The aquatic industry could be a productive industry in Lebanon that satisfies [our needs] and decreases Turkish imports of fisheries, but [the government] does not care for it” criticizes Sleit.
With the rising prices of imported products, it would be safe to assume that there is an increase in demand on locally sourced fish. Sleit begs to differ. He claims that the demand decreased as people visited the Cornish, or the public waterfront, less due to lock-downs. In addition to that, he also blames the economic crisis for decreasing the purchasing power for working class people, who are usually the regular customers that buy from Mina Jal el Baher.
Even the assumption that the prices of locally sourced fish are somewhat stable, or not as high as imported fisheries, is also false. Sleit explains that the cost of the equipment used for fishing was heavily influenced by the increase in the dollar exchange rate.
The fuel used for the boat motors increased in price despite being mostly subsidized. Oil for the boat motors, which is 6 USD and used to be 9,000 Lebanese Liras, is now more than 60,000 L.L. according to Sleit. Equipment such as cages for fishing and spare parts for motors have also increased in price given that they are mostly imported.
According to Fadi Sleit, a fisherman and a member of the Coop, the plastic shrimp [bait] that is used to fish for Calamari used to cost around 5,000 L.L but now costs 50,000 L.L. “If it gets stuck in the rocks, it’s gone” shrugs Fadi Sleit.
“Labor power is also costly” emphasizes Hamza Sleit. “I cannot tell a fisherman to sell his fish according to the 1,500 L.L exchange rate while he is buying a can of milk for his child for 100,000 L.L.”
Above all, Sleit claims there is a decrease in the availability of fish in the sea due to several reasons. One of them is pollution, where he blames the unorganized and illegal beach resorts that dump too much Chlorine in the sea, as well as the garbage dumps near the sea that violate an international treaty signed by Lebanon in 1995 in Barcelona, Spain.
In addition to violating the international treaty, Sleit places heavy blame on the outdated fishing laws in Lebanon that have not been amended or updated since they were set in place in 1925. The absence of such laws and their strong implementation has led to unsafe and harmful practices for fishing. This has put the eggs of fish in danger, leaving very few for the next season, and decreasing the availability of fish.
As a president of a fishing coop, Sleit participated alongside other presidents of coops and experts in a project to prepare a new fishing law in coordination with FAO. However, the proposal did not even make it to the table of the decision-makers.
Sleit understands that it is difficult for such law to be passed. Laws that could potentially prohibit fishing in 3 months of the year to protect small fish and eggs cannot be passed without taking into consideration the toll it would take on fishers. Without any compensation or support, the fisher would not accept such law.
Currently, fishers do not have a stable status for their jobs. They cannot benefit from social security.
“If a fisher slips and falls on the rocks, they have to pay for their hospital bills. They might have to stop working for a while with no other source for support.” expresses Sleit.
With the decrease of fish and increase in costs, fishers have resorted to the alternative practice of Nuzha, or touristic boat rides. Such rides cost less money and require less effort.
“With Corona-virus, people no longer wanted to gather in small boats for touristic rides. The fisher that works in Nuzha [and left fishing due to decrease of fish quantity] has to go back to fishing. They either catch fish they can sell, or eat the fish.” says Hamza Sleit.
“If they catch fish, they eat. If they don’t catch fish, they don’t eat.” Sleit shrugs helplessly.
In places like Jal el-Baher, the sea has been providing these same families for generations. With times changing, modern life requires constant progress. As it becomes harder to catch up with, how long are we going to allow one of the oldest jobs in our culture to remain stuck in the past?
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