Sea of troubles

Manama : Rising number of Bahraini fishermen, battered by financial crisis, are giving up their traditional occupation in search of better opportunities elsewhere, a top official revealed. 

Waheed Al Dossari, the honorary President of Bahrain Fishermen Society, claims that the crisis has pushed around 20 percent of fisherman into financial and economic hardships in the past four years, forcing them to quit their jobs.

Adding to the woes, according to Al Dossari is Tamkeen’s decision to cut financial support which “has backfired”

Expressing his worries about the direction the industry in heading, he added that the fishermen are now struggling to see a future in the trade. 

“They are even struggling to meet their expenses,” he said while speaking to DT News. 

“Even the expatriate labourers are leaving because they are worried about not getting their salaries on time,” he pointed out. 

Highlighting Tamkeen’s decision to cut financial assistance as a deciding factor, Al Dossari said they did nothing to support the community in the past four years. 

“Earlier, they had a two-year programme, but it has been discontinued for reasons not yet explained,” Al Dossari said adding that the fishermen received a total of BD3 million through the programme. 

“Big boats received BD5000 while smaller ones received BD3000 each. If the programme had not been withdrawn, the community would have received around BD 6 million, he pointed out, citing it as a major reason for the current crisis.   

Al Dossari, however, pointed out that Tamkeen is supposed to restart the programme after conducting studies, as promised. 

Tamkeen’s assistance was of a great help to fishermen, who are supposed to fend for everything from boat repair to LMRA fees from their day’s catch. 

“We risk our lives every day to bring fish from deep seas. Many have abandoned their business; many are struggling. If we do not get support we could go down,” he said. 

Amidst all these troubles, Al Dossari is, however, happy with the support of the leadership. 

“Prime MinisterHRH Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa has done so much for us,” he said. 

“The Premier funded our headquarters and followed up repeatedly to ensure our wellbeing. Thanks to his support, we are now able to bring fish to Bahrain,” Al Dossari said. 

He added that the society held an event yesterday to celebrate the Premier’s return from the hospital, which was attended by officials from the Muharraq Municipal Council.