Post by Dive Bunnie on May 29, 2008 3:34:12 GMT
So a group of our divers were in the Ras Mohammed National Park yesterday, in an area called the Alternatives, when they saw a sight that should never be seen here in Sharm.
A group of fishermen had put out a huge fishing net and were gathering it in, along with hundreds of the beautiful fish that is the bread and butter of the tourist industry in this area (watching them go about their daily business, not eating them, I hasten to add).
This area is still very much a part of the national park and therefore under strict regulation regarding fishing, however recently there seems to be a blatant disregard for these rules.
Snorkelling boats have been seen with several of their guests hanging over the side each bearing a fishing line! And for fishing nets to be used, well that can just wipe out a whole ton of fish in one go. Not to mention the fact that they could also gather up a few divers in the process!!!
Because some of the local people are dependent on fishing, they are allowed to fish on certain sites for about an hour or two each morning. However they are meant to use traditional methods, and not wipe out the total population. Also a family with a boat license is not likely to catch huge amounts of fish, but what has been happening lately is that these families have been selling their licenses to professional fishing companies!
We have noticed that the blue scale emperor fish are not hanging around Jack Fish alley at the moment, despite a gathering beginning to form earlier this year. Without them, the sharks will not come, without the sharks, the divers will go elsewhere. If the tourists stop coming to Sharm, there won't be anyone here to eat all the lovely fish that these companies have been gathering up. There are plenty of other areas that they are allowed to fish, so why not respect the rules and help preserve the natural wonder that is Ras Mohammed?
A group of fishermen had put out a huge fishing net and were gathering it in, along with hundreds of the beautiful fish that is the bread and butter of the tourist industry in this area (watching them go about their daily business, not eating them, I hasten to add).
This area is still very much a part of the national park and therefore under strict regulation regarding fishing, however recently there seems to be a blatant disregard for these rules.
Snorkelling boats have been seen with several of their guests hanging over the side each bearing a fishing line! And for fishing nets to be used, well that can just wipe out a whole ton of fish in one go. Not to mention the fact that they could also gather up a few divers in the process!!!
Because some of the local people are dependent on fishing, they are allowed to fish on certain sites for about an hour or two each morning. However they are meant to use traditional methods, and not wipe out the total population. Also a family with a boat license is not likely to catch huge amounts of fish, but what has been happening lately is that these families have been selling their licenses to professional fishing companies!
We have noticed that the blue scale emperor fish are not hanging around Jack Fish alley at the moment, despite a gathering beginning to form earlier this year. Without them, the sharks will not come, without the sharks, the divers will go elsewhere. If the tourists stop coming to Sharm, there won't be anyone here to eat all the lovely fish that these companies have been gathering up. There are plenty of other areas that they are allowed to fish, so why not respect the rules and help preserve the natural wonder that is Ras Mohammed?