On the Libyan coasts of Sirta, Mohamon Al Ramas is preparing to take off his suffering plastic boat for yet another fishing trip. Unraveling his worn and frayed nets, he shows the garbage scattered surface of the sea. “These nets now only catch plastic,” he says. “I feel like cleaning the sea, instead of getting a living.” Plastic trash, which according to the UN enter the Mediterranean at a rate of 730 tonnes a day, are not his only concern. After decades of fishing in the waters that connect Southern Europe and North Africa, it says that industrial trawlers “gather everything, even small, young fish” wipe the sea “purely every day”.

In addition, he says that the pollution of sewage from cities near the Libyan capital, Tripoli, kills fish and sponge populations, and the restoration of the coast disturbs the breeding sites of certain species. “What is happening here is not normal,” he says, adding that sometimes you feel like Libya has no sea on her doorstep. “We have one of the largest shores in the area, but we import fish from abroad.” Al Ramas says he and other fishermen hope that the Libyan Ministry of the Environment will take steps to protect the sea and what describes as a “constant destruction” of their only source income. “We have sent letters and requests, but no one answers.”

Matches

Along the coast in the Bahari area of Alexandria, Egypt, Hatz Abdel Nabi sits on the dock and inspects his nets. Now, in its sixties, he remembers times when the sea provided rich catch. “In the past, we have returned with a hundred pounds of fish, but today we only get ten, and sometimes, we come back with nothing at all.” It also recognizes the trawlers as at least partly responsible, with a single boat carrying “more than all local fishermen together”. Like Al Ramas, he says he has conveyed his concerns to the Municipality and the Ministry of the Environment, but so far he has not received an answer. Environmental reports by Algeria, which is shared by a coastline with Libya and Egypt, have shown constant exhaustion of species such as sardine, which is important for the country’s fishing industry. The Algerian authorities told DW that 1,300 tonnes of “sardines” – which are less than 11cm – are caught each year. Often illegally. Researchers warn that catching young fish undermines populations and disrupts marine food chain.

What are the solutions?

While local fishermen such as Hatz Abdel Nabi feel the combined weight of the Mediterranean problems at a conference last month, Egypt presented a national plan to improve the coastal environment. It plans to restore two coastal lakes and build about 70 kilometers of Egyptian protection coastline in the form of dunes. The country also aims to reduce the use of plastic through extensive responsibility of the producer, which will impose fees on manufacturers and importers of plastic bags.

The country’s Minister of Environment, Yasmine Fuad, also announced initiatives for fishermen in the collection and recycling of marine waste to provide additional income, as well as to monitoring the quality of water for pollution. “Mediterranean protection is no longer an environmental choice. It is a social and economic necessity, “he said. It is also a climate need. Scientific studies show that the oceans have absorbed about 90% of excess heat generated by human activity by the industrial revolution, exerting additional pressure on fragile marine ecosystems. And experts say that rising temperatures, rainfall decrease and sea level rise are among the factors affecting the Mediterranean Sea.

Protection commitments

Last month, Algeria announced a project to digitize the monitoring of fishing activity and linking its ports to electronic surveillance systems in collaboration with the Mediterranean Union – an intergovernmental organization of 43 states. In June, 55 countries signed the open seas treaty, which aims to protect 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030. This milestone in the global ocean governance – which, among other things, will create protected areas and regulate activities such as fishing and fishing. This could happen by the end of the year.

Last month, 170 countries were united to announce the “Nice plan for the oceans”. It requires the participation of the fishermen in the collection of environmental data, the prohibition of deep water fishing in fragile ecosystems and the support of the blue economy projects as a path to sustainable development. European countries are committed to investing 1 billion euros in ocean protection initiatives in the coming years. This includes the support of the states of the world south, stricter marine waters and advanced monitoring of pollution in the Mediterranean. But those who live by the sea are not all convinced by the promises of protection. “It is difficult to believe when some of the biggest funders are also the worst polluting in the world,” former Tunisian captain and current independent environmental activist Samir Sheikh al-Zagnani told DW. Fishermen like Al Ramas would like to be more directly involved in protecting the waters around them. “We know the sea and we can protect it, but we don’t have the tools,” he said. “If they continue to promise us, while giving the nets to others, we will have nothing left.”

Curated by: Costas Argyros