Fishing Limits in Gaza

Gaza was once famous for its fish. Just nine nautical miles off Gaza’s shores, there is a deep channel used by great schools of fish in their migration between the Nile Delta and the Aegean Sea, a natural resource plied for centuries by Palestinian fishing boats. Until recently, Gazan catches often exceeded 1,650 pounds (750 kilograms) of fish a day; exports to Israel, the West Bank, and Jordan brought in millions of dollars. Fishing supported more than 30,000 people, many of them families with a long fishing tradition, whether from Gaza or the northern ports of Yaffa, Hamama, and El Majdal.