Environmental impact of the Gaza blockade
In addition to the human and psychological impacts produced by the blockade of the Gaza, there are environmental ramifications too. People denied access to basic foodstuffs will, as a necessity, search for options that surround them. Traditional ethnic groups with a close tie to their environs are natural conservationists. They avoid over-harvesting and over use to make sure they preserve vital resources for the future. This sound environmental management is evident in many indigenous peoples. However, external factors can influence and distort traditional resource management patters. This scenario is now at play in the Gaza.
The Gaza may be a narrow, densely populated strip of land, but it has the advantage of having access to Mediterranean. This allowed Gaza fishermen free access to the ocean’s bounties. A post-Operation Cast Lead atmosphere has affected this however. Israel has limited the range of the fisherman keeping them close to shore for fear of their boats being used as weapons or to transport undesired cargo. This keeps the fisherman from going out to the open seas, and puts a strain on the near shore species. This has the potential to lead to resource depletion. Such is the case in relation to the Loggerhead Turtle, which although classified as an endangered species and is protected, is harvested by fisherman desperate for fish to sell and by a population hungry for protein. The ramifications of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict produce yet another tragic consequence for the world.
The Loggerhead sea turtle was still alive, but barely. As it lay on its back on the pavement, occasionally flapping its fins, the fisherman who had caught it when it got stuck in his net a few miles off the coast of the Gaza Strip said he would take it home and eat it. The fisherman, who gave his name only as “Abu Mohamed,” admitted that his catch was illegal. Loggerheads are classified internationally as an endangered species. But these days, environmental protection is rarely enforced in Gaza’s waters. That’s because, according to fishermen and local maritime officials, life has gotten far too desperate to play by the rules.
The Gaza Strip has been under an Israeli blockade since 2007, when the Islamist group Hamas took control of the territory. The blockade has crippled Gaza’s economy, leaving 85% of the population dependent on humanitarian aid to survive. At sea, fishermen are restricted to three nautical miles from the coast, creating a crowded, overfished shoreline. “The big fish can be found after six miles, but the fishermen cannot go that far, so they catch what’s available,” says Mohamed al-Hissi, who serves as a liaison for fishermen affairs at the General Syndicate of Marine Fishers in Gaza City.
