Yemeni fishermen are abandoning their fishing grounds due to dangers in the Red Sea
Fishermen along Yemen’s Red Sea coast are facing restrictions on going out to sea, sea mines, shelling, and the disappearances of their colleagues. As a result, some of them are leaving the fishing industry or looking for work in other regions, according to Al Jazeera English. The problem has particularly affected the city of Al-Muhah and the neighboring district of Al-Hawkah on the country’s western coast.
Mazhar, a fisherman from Al-Muhah, said that a fishing boat was recently shelled near Al-Hawha and his colleagues went missing. He does not know the cause of the incident, and, according to him, the authorities have not announced any findings regarding it. Mazhar also stated that the parties to the conflict have, at various times, restricted fishermen’s access to deep waters and artificial reefs, forcing them to fish closer to shore.
The Red Sea coast was one of the main centers of Yemen’s fishing industry. Before the war, fish products were the country’s second-largest source of export revenue after oil. According to a 2018 study, fish exports from the region have declined by approximately 70%. The area is of strategic importance due to the port of Hodeidah and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which controls access to one of the world’s most important shipping lanes.
For more breaking news, follow the UA.News Telegram channel.
Fouad Doubla, head of the Al-Haws Fishermen’s Association, stated that more than 30,000 fishermen—for whom fishing is their sole source of income—have been affected by the situation along the coast. According to him, 113 fishermen have gone missing in the Red Sea since 2023. Dubla also claims that sea mines have killed 264 fishermen and maimed another 215, while pirates have detained industry workers.
A fisherman named Akram recounted that last year a sea mine exploded under the boat of two of his neighbors near Al-Hawha. He plans to move to Aden, believing Yemen’s southern coast to be safer for fishing. Another fisherman, 48-year-old Ismail, sold the equipment he had been collecting for 20 years last year and bought a minibus. He now earns a living as a driver, having given up working at sea due to the constant risk.
Download our app
