VZCZCXRO1315
RR RUEHHM RUEHLN RUEHMA RUEHPB
DE RUEHEG #7218/01 3551321
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 211321Z DEC 06
FM AMEMBASSY CAIRO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3027
INFO RUEHZN/ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 CAIRO 007218 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ELA, OES FOR HOGAN, DRL 
AMMAN FOR WHITTLESEY 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SENV ECON EFIS SOCI TBIO PHUM PGOV ELAB EG
SUBJECT: EGYPT SNAPSHOT: VIOLENCE SURROUNDS CLOSURE OF FISH 
CAGE INDUSTRY 
 
 
¶1. (SBU)  Summary:  Citing public health concerns, GOE 
officials recently ordered police in the northern Delta to 
remove thousands of fish-rearing cages from the Nile, 
prompting clashes that led to the deaths of three fishermen 
and the injury of thirty more.  While scientists, 
environmentalists, and industry experts agree that the 
largely unregulated aquaculture industry is hazardous to the 
environment, human rights activists question the enforcement 
tactics of the edict, and the government's inability to offer 
any viable alternatives to the fishermen.  End Summary. 
 
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ENFORCEMENT PUSH 
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¶2. (SBU)  Citing public health concerns, GOE officials called 
for the removal of thousands of fish cages, many operating 
without licenses, in the northern Delta governorates of 
Damietta and Behira in early December.  Quoting a government 
commissioned report, Behira Governor Mohamed Shaarawi told 
local press that practices associated with the ballooning 
aquaculture industry contaminating the Nile were cause for 
the removal.  He added the fishermen had been given a "grace 
period to sell their fish and minimize their losses."  Local 
media reported on December 3 that police fired rubber bullets 
on hundreds of local fishermen staging a protest in Damietta, 
200 km north of Cairo, killing three and injuring thirty. 
Police arrested an additional thirty during the removal of 
400 cages in the towns of El Saro and El Zarqa in the 
Damietta governorate. 
 
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UNLICENSED SECTOR, LACK OF ENFORCEMENT PARTIALLY TO BLAME 
--------------------------------------------- ------------ 
 
¶3. (SBU)   Scientists, government officials, and 
environmentalists agree that the poorly regulated fish cage 
industry contaminates Nile water.  The Nile fish cage 
industry, accounting for 55,000 metric tons of the 770,000 
metric tons of fish produced country-wide each year, has 
grown steadily in recent years, according to experts.  The 
industry, which began in the 1970's, started with about 600 
licenses for fishermen, raising mainly tilapia for sale in 
local markets.  Regulations state cages need to be kept 100 
meters apart, and place limits on the number of fish raised 
per year.  Currently, the exact number of fish cage operators 
is unknown, but thought to be about 3000 to 4000 licensed 
operators, and up to several thousand more unlicensed 
operators. 
 
¶4. (SBU)  Industry experts from the World Fish Center (WFC) 
in Cairo say the increased sediment, uneaten food, and 
organic pollutants caused by the cage farming method can 
"produce as much pollution as raw sewage from a small town." 
High fish feed costs have driven many fishermen to use manure 
instead, making the fish unfit for safe human consumption and 
adding pollutants to the water.  Experts argue that strict 
enforcement of existing regulations could negate the 
environmental impact.  According to Dr. Abdulrahman from the 
WFC, fish cages can be a "safe industry if practiced 
correctly, but the regulations need to be set and enforced." 
Dr. Salah Soliman, an environmental activist and professor in 
Alexandria agrees.  "Fishermen need to use environmentally 
friendly feed, and limit their activities. There is a way to 
do this safely." 
 
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HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVISTS CALL FOR INVESTIGATION, COMPENSATION 
--------------------------------------------- -------------- 
 
¶5. (SBU)  While few doubt the poorly regulated industry is a 
public health concern, human rights activists condemn the 
violence surrounding the removal of the cages, as well as the 
lack of compensation for the fishermen.  The Cairo-based Land 
Center for Human Rights (LCHR) is helping fishermen file a 
suit with the administrative court against the Prime 
Minister, Minister of Agriculture, Minister of Irrigation, 
and Governor of Damietta.   According to LCHR Director Karam 
Saber, "we don't protest the government's decision, but the 
violent way in which it was carried out."  Another issue at 
hand is inadequate compensation or alternatives for the 
thousands involved in the industry.  GOE officials have 
promised to relocate some fishermen to nearby Lake Manzala, 
which Saber calls "impossible."  He says "there are too many 
fishermen there already who will not allow newcomers." 
 
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COMMENT 
 
CAIRO 00007218  002 OF 002 
 
 
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¶6.  (SBU)  While the GOE's desire to protect public health is 
certainly valid, reports of excessive force used in executing 
this decision, as well as the GOE's inability to enforce 
existing industry regulations, is just cause for criticism. 
More importantly, as labor activists have argued, the GOE 
failed to provide viable alternatives for these fishermen, 
and in doing so has lost an opportunity to show support and 
concern for some of Egypt's most vulnerable workers. 
JONES