QATIF: Fishermen in Qatif are losing their source of livelihood due to the massive reclamation of the habitat of fish and shrimp in the Arabian Gulf, according to the chairman of the Qatif Business Council of the Asharqia Chamber. “Environmental degradation in the Arabian Gulf due to land reclamation is a major problem facing the local community here because marine sites are being destroyed and the natural landscape of the coastal area is being changed resulting in environmental destruction,” said Salman Bin Mohammed Al-Jishi, chairman of the council. He said reclamation has continued unabated for many years despite several Royal Decrees prohibiting reclamation and limiting the areas to be reclaimed in the coastal region of Qatif and Tarout island. “Most of the 600,000 population of Qatif are low-income citizens, and a number of them depend on fishing for their livelihood. The reclamation of the natural habitat of fish and shrimp is a big setback for the survival of these fishermen,” Al-Jishi told Saudi Gazette. He said the Qatif Business Council has already sent a resolution to Prince Muhammad Bin Fahd, Emir of the Eastern Province, seeking support for the implementation of the Royal Decrees. Qatif is the major trading post for marine products in the Gulf region. Al-Jishi said that since the reclamation started, thereby limiting local fish and shrimp harvests, Qatif has been losing its competitive advantage with fishermen from Oman now coming to Qatif fish markets to sell their catch and compete with local fishermen. Al-Jishi, also a member of the board of directors of the Asharqia Chamber, said several measures to support the economic growth of Qatif have already been proposed, among them the establishment of branches of the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Labor Office, and Passport Office in Qatif. A proposal to establish an industrial city in Qatif has also been discussed by the Asharqia Chamber, according to Al-Jishi. “Development projects are going on now in Qatif, but the immediate concern of the population is to put an end to land reclamation which is adversely affecting the survival of our fishermen and the environment,” he said.
