- Title: Spearfishing in Gaza, a living improvised under the sea
- Date: 13th October 2020
- Summary: GAZA CITY, GAZA (OCTOBER 8, 2020) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) PHOTOJOURNALIST FROM GAZA, MOHAMMED ASAD, SAYING: "There are many fishermen who fish near the shore, but recently, I've been focused on documenting fishermen who use spearguns, which is made in Gaza because it is not allowed to be imported. I don't know why- its range is only 1.5 meters. The fishermen who do this job and earn a living from it, are suffering from the lack of diving tools - flippers, goggles, suits and other simple tools needed for free diving." VARIOUS OF ASAD WALKING TOWARDS SEA ASAD AT SHORE PREPARING HIS EQUIPMENT BEFORE DIVING ASAD WALKING INTO SEA
- Embargoed: 27th October 2020 11:19
- Keywords: Fishing Gaza Palestinians Sprearfishing
- Location: GAZA CITY, GAZA
- City: GAZA CITY, GAZA
- Country: Palestinian Territories
- Topics: Human-Led Feature,Human-Led Stories,Middle East
- Reuters ID: LVA002CZYPFF9
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Armed with a snorkel mask and a home-made gun shaped like a trident, and dressed in a green sweatshirt and jogging pants, Ashraf Al-Amoudi goes hunting every day in the coastal waters of Gaza.​ He is one of scores of spear fishermen who scratch out a living close to shore in the Hamas Islamist-run territory, diving from boats to depths of around four meters (13 ft) without oxygen to prise oysters from the rocks and catch grouper, sea bream and mullet.
"At the beginning it was a hobby, and when I couldn't find work it became a job and a source of living," said Amoudi, who has been a fisherman for 13 years.
Now his catch nets him an average of around $14 a day.
Gaza's unemployment rate is around 50% and tight restrictions imposed by Israel - which cites security concerns in its conflict with Hamas - make it difficult to obtain diving equipment and sometimes force the closure of Gaza's fishing zones.
So Amoudi and his co-workers are used to improvising.
"We can repair fins, make an underwater gun, but there are things we can't (obtain) such as fins, suits, goggles and oxygen," he said.
He says Gaza has around 250 men who fish with spears and some 4,000 who use boats and nets, among a population of two million.
(Production: Suhaib Salem, Mustafa Abu Ganeyeh) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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