MANTA RAY MASSACRE: Fishermen celebrate mass catch of endangered fish in bloody display
GAZA, PALESTINE: Dozens of manta rays were on display on a Gaza Strip, as local Palestinian fishermen celebrated their big harvest on Sunday, March 12. Every year in March and April, during their winter migration, the endangered creatures gather in the Mediterranean waters off the coast of the Gaza Strip in Palestine.
Fishing is a major industry in Gaza, which has been under siege by Israel and Egypt since 2007. More than ten of the rays, each weighing between 200 and 300 kilograms, were caught by fisherman Bashir Shoueikh. Each kilo costs about 12 shekels ($3.30). "Each boat carries between 20 and 30 of these fish," Shoueikh said, as per Daily Mail. "People like them a lot," he says.
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'Manta rays have been washing up for years now'
Depending on the level of security, Israel sets a fishing zone off Gaza that ranges from five to sixteen nautical miles. "These manta rays have been washing up for years now," another fisherman, Bashir Shuwaikh, told euronews. "Every year, a large quantity of these fish wash up since it's currently their season. Each boat carries between 20 and 30 of this fish. They come out for the duration of a month approximately and we catch them daily, as long as the weather is warm," he explained.
Images from the recent fishing frenzy in Gaza show crowds gathering to pull fish out of the water with ropes wrapped around their wings. They are then apparently placed on the sand after being dragged up the beach. The carcasses of the rays are also piled on waiting carts pulled by horses, ostensibly to take the carcasses to markets. Pictures taken by fishermen showing the bloody carcasses of the rays covering the sandy beaches are horrifying.
Manta rays are endangered creatures
The two species of manta ray are Manta birostris and Manta alfredi. The wingspan of these beautiful animals can be up to 18 feet for the alfredi species and 23 feet for the larger birostris species. Due to their declining populations, both are listed as endangered species on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists manta rays as "vulnerable" and places them on its red list. Overfishing is the greatest threat to them. The animals' meat isn't particularly well-liked, but their gills are frequently utilized in Chinese medicine and to filter plankton.
