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Gaza's first marine fish farm helps make up for dwindling catch

Gaza's fishing boats have long operated under a tight blockade imposed by both Israel and Egypt, which has made it too expensive for many to operate and has reduced the size of their catch, hindering economic development in the enclave, where just over half the population lives in poverty.

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Gazas first marine fish farm helps make up for dwindling catch

The fishing industry has been hit by export bans imposed by Israel, which controls access for exports from Gaza to markets in the occupied West Bank, and which has fought repeated wars with Gaza's Hamas rulers.

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Gazas first marine fish farm helps make up for dwindling catch

In August, when Israel bombed targets linked to the Islamic Jihad movement in Gaza in a brief three-day campaign, exports were stopped for two weeks before being allowed to resume at just a fifth the normal level of 100 tonnes a month, an amount Palestinians said was insufficient.

The Israeli Agriculture Ministry said on Tuesday the reduced level was related to public health concerns following illegal fish smuggling from Gaza but that Israel had decided to set the quota at 40 tonnes.

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Gazas first marine fish farm helps make up for dwindling catch

Yasser Al-Haj, who owns a beachfront restaurant and onshore fish farms that produce up to 300 tonnes of sea bream per year, 80% of which is exported to the West Bank, said exports would resume on Wednesday.

"We suffered huge losses. We agreed to resume exports on a promise the Israelis would gradually increase the permitted quantity," he said.

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Gazas first marine fish farm helps make up for dwindling catch