Fishing equipment is expensive, and traditional fishermen had no access to institutional credit. Moreover, these fishermen lacked modern nets and methods; they were classified as artisans and precluded from industrial level fishing. Worse still, the traditional nets used had small (and illegal) mesh size with grave consequences for the marine ecosystem.
SEAL purchased 1,068 large fishing nets for 534 fishermen in Al Sarafand and Chekka that ameliorated the situation by improving sustainability and the potential for economic growth.
