With its many riches and picturesque beaches, the Mediterranean Sea has played an important role,over thousands of years, in shaping the lives of those who live on its long coasts, large areas of which are located within the Arab world.
But the unjust exploitation of the sea’s resources, whose area exceeds two million square kilometers, has had dire consequences for the creatures that used to live beneath its surface, and hence the need to make more efforts to protect them.
In 2023, “Friends of Nature” in Lebanon launched a non-profit sustainable fishing training program, with support from the UK government's Darwin Initiative.
Speaking to “Green in Arabic”, program officer “Stacey Mutran” pointed out that Lebanon’s long coastline on the Mediterranean Sea, which extends for more than 200 km, was one of the reasons behind the idea of training in sustainable fishing.
She continued, saying: “We found it our responsibility to take the initiative to protect our sea and work to restore the riches that distinguish it.”
The history of the “Friends of Nature” association dates back to 1972, when it was founded by scientist “Ricardus El-Habr”, and it is the first NGO concerned with the environment in Lebanon, according to the association’s official website.
“Mutran” said that the program targets low-income young people for several reasons, including the severe economic crisis that Lebanon is going through, which has severely affected this group of people who do not have stable jobs.
She continues that the training aims to push young people who cannot find a job opportunity to invest in their country in a sustainable and beneficial way, instead of traveling abroad.
The Foundation works by focusing on two axes: The first is to target amateurs, or those who do not have any knowledge about fishing and wish to join the field, while the second axis includes communicating with fishermen’s cooperative societies to provide them with information about sustainable fishing.
Constant communication
The organization also maintains remote contact with participants who join the training free of charge for two full years.
“Mutran” clarified “by communicating with the trainees via the “WhatsApp” application, we are able to know the different types of fish that they have succeeded in catching, in order to create a database of the species found in the Sea of Lebanon.”
Dangerous practices
According to the project officer, there is a list of illegal environmental practices that the organization is working to combat; Among them is the use of substances classified as poisons during fishing operations, which lead to obtaining large quantities of dead fish, a matter whose health effects extend across different generations, without consumers or fishermen realizing the danger of what they are eating.
In addition, the use of dynamite in fishing, which is known as blast fishing, poses serious harm to the environment.
“Mutran” points out the negative effects of these practices on the marine environment, including the death of fish and the bleaching of coral reefs due to toxins and chemicals deposited in the water.
The majority is women
There is another aspect of the matter that “Mutran” pointed out, which is that the majority of those responsible for implementing the project are women.
One of the women who participated in transferring her experiences to the trainees is “Solange Safir”, who loves to practice fishing so much in addition to her main profession, so she was called “the madwoman of the sea.”
Speaking to “Green in Arabic”, the Lebanese fisherwoman, whose birthplace is located in the charming city of “Byblos”, tells how her relationship with the sea began since her childhood, saying: “When I caught the first fish in my life, I was five years old, after I cooperated with my brother to catch it using a rod (a fishing tool).”
“Safir's” interest in fishing put her in the face of negative comments from those who saw her as unable to compete with men in that field, or unable to catch certain types of fish, but sharing pictures of the activities she carries out on social media has changed the situation to some extent. It increased the audience's encouragement for her, in addition to increasing her desire to train and learn.
Spiritual exercise
The fisherwoman pointed out the benefits of learning to fish at an early age, especially for teenagers who, in her view, are exposed to many dangers due to social media and the risk of being drawn into wrong practices such as smoking.
She continues: “I urge families to encourage their children to learn to hunt, as it is a spiritual and physical sport and helps relieve stress.”
“Safir” told us how the association’s director, “Dr. Mirna Semaan”, was very enthusiastic about the idea of training when she proposed it to her, adding: “We are raising a new generation of fishermen who will work in a sustainable way.” She noted Lebanon's suffering from overfishing, and noted the selfish behavior of some, claiming that if they adhere to the sustainable method, others will not, including those who take fishing as their profession and carry out practices that harm them.
Before starting with the groups of trainees, there are several steps that “Safir “is keen to complete, such as sending the names of the most important types of fish and the sizes allowed to be caught to the team’s group, then preparing the necessary equipment for training, such as hooks, lines and reeds.
After launching the boat, competitions begin between the trainees to learn about the fish they catch, and the training ends with prizes being awarded to the winners, and assistance will continue later if any of them wants to develop their skills and turn them into a permanent profession.
