Artisanal fishers in Kerkennah are raising alarms: the northern coasts of the archipelago, located off the shores of Sfax, have witnessed an influx of trawlers in recent weeks. These boats are dredging the seabed with blatant disregard for legal, ecological, and socio-economic considerations, according to a statement published on November 28, 2024, by the Kraten Association for Sustainable Development, Culture, and Leisure.
The association, which gathered testimonies from numerous artisanal fishers, has renewed its call for local and national authorities to intervene and put an end to this illegal practice, which endangers the seabed ecosystems of the islands.
This practice also poses a significant threat to the livelihoods of artisanal fishers. According to the association, which has sent formal complaints to authorities, including the Office of the Prime Minister, “The state continues to turn a deaf ear to the concerns of fishermen and the daily violations of the law,” despite repeated warnings.
The environmental situation in Kerkennah is deteriorating daily, with catastrophic impacts on the local population, the association warns. “Following the disappearance of sponges in recent years and the ongoing decimation of octopus populations due to off-season fishing, trawlers continue dredging operations, leading to the complete desertification of the northern seabed of the archipelago,” the association added, raising alarms about the potential for social unrest stemming from the loss of income sources for the island’s inhabitants.
Source: kapitalis
