Fishermen left penniless during Ramadan by coastal guides

A handful of Bahraini fishermen say they’re witnessing terrible financial conditions this Ramadan because their only source of income - fishing - has been disrupted as the Coast Guard retained their boats almost a month back. Four of the fishermen from Lama and Bilad Al Qadeem villages claim that their boats have been seized by the Coast Guard on April 24 because they breached the night sailing ban by a period less than 30 minutes. Ali Jassim, a resident of Hamala and one of the fishermen involved, told Tribune that sailing off Bahrain coast has been banned between sunset and sunrise (approximately 4 am to 6 pm) as instructed by the Interior Ministry.

Fishing is the only profession these fishermen know and their means of earning daily breads is taken away from them. They are left with no money to buy food for their loved ones at home.

In a statement released on Monday, Al Dossary called for considering the humanitarian conditions of the fishermen, especially during the Holy Month of Ramadan. “This is their only profession and income source. They have learnt their lesson and will rectify their situations, but they didn’t commit any violations that require the detention of their boats for such a long period. They have families to support and other financial commitments with banks and other entities,” the MP said.