35-year old Palestinian, Muath Abou Zeid made a fishing boat from hundreds of plastic bottles and it was abandoned on the coast of Rafah in the Gaza Strip.
Palestinian fisherman makes environmentally-friendly boats from plastics
But for the past two weeks, the father of four, has been out at sea for about eight hours a day and managed to catch between five and seven kilos of sardines, red mullets and other fishes.
Zeid sells his catch to passers-by along the sea, for a sum varying between 20 and 40 shekels, or about 4 to 9 euros.
But he says his impact on the environment is more important than anything else.
“This boat is made from empty plastic bottles. I have other ideas for all the empty bottles thrown by people on the beaches, I hope to use these empty bottles to save the environment”, Zeid said.
His only tools include glue, old fishing nets and a wooden board to make the plastic boat. Zeid said his boat can accomodate 8 people .
“The maximum distance I can travel with this boat is 1.5 to 2 kilometres, because it’s a paddle boat and it’s very tiring. I fish with hooks because I can’t find a place to buy nets and fishing gear in Gaza”, he said.
The Gaza Strip, controlled by the Islamist Hamas movement, has been subjected to a severe Israeli land and sea blockade for more than a decade. This has led to increased unemployment rate estimated at 45%, with 80% of the two million inhabitants dependent on aid, according to the World Bank.
This week, the Defense Minister authorized the complete re-opening of Kerem Shalom, the only transit terminal for goods between the Hebrew state and the Gaza Strip.
AFP