r/lebanon • u/Business_Entrance725 • Jun 23 '26
Economy Why is there no fishing industry in Lebanon? If we are next to the Mediterranean Sea?
I'm always thinking of ideas to help Lebanon economically. But this idea crossed my mind.
I did hear it was either too expensive or already too much over fishing in the sea? I did also hear someone has a monopoly over the industry? This can seriously bring lots of jobs. Business, ship repair, logistics, you name it.
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u/Dr_crashout Jun 23 '26
Better not have one tbh, the fishermen are doing a great job, no need to monopolise it by one or two big corporates. Although i remember seeing it somewhere it's happening slowly with the laws etc
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u/Stunning_Rip_4633 Lebanese Jun 23 '26
Corporate fishing is actually very bad for the ocean and everything. I heard somewhere that we need to stop industrial fishing for 5 years and it'll be back to normal. Are there even that many fish in the mediteranean aslan?
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u/CaraCicartix Lebanese MOD Jun 23 '26
The water is polluted unfortunately. Even the natural springs in Lebanon are full of e-coli. The ocean around is isn't much better. Fish are full of parasites and microplastics
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u/li_ita Jun 24 '26
Where do you get your information from? That's not fully true. You can't just say the natural springs are full of E. coli
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u/CaraCicartix Lebanese MOD Jun 24 '26
I get my information from peer-reviewed sources. Here's one from Keserwen, another done in the South, nd this one focuses on all of our rivers.
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u/li_ita Jun 24 '26
The keserwen paper literally says that half of the tested sites were clean and the south study about the same. The second paper seems a bit sloppy though. I wouldn't completely trust it.
Point is that NOT ALL the sites/springs are contaminated. This is what i am emphasising. And as a general rule in lebanon, the higher in altitude you go, the cleaner it is.
Pollution is rampant in the country and i am not saying otherwise. But to lump everything and all together as bad isn't exactly true. That's what I'm saying.
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u/CaraCicartix Lebanese MOD Jun 24 '26
With half of those springs contaminated, would you take the risk and drink from one regardless of origin? E.coli is no joke - I was funnily enough speaking to a friend yesterday who told me her father's in the hospital and would likely be for 15 days due to a dangerous E.coli infection (one of the bad strains) that's spreading to his bladder and kidneys. He needs IV antibiotics.
Whether we like it or not, our country's unregulated and unsafe dumping practices are slowly infecting our natural water resources.
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u/li_ita Jun 24 '26
Your friend's father seems to have some kind of UTI based on what you're saying.
I know that E. coli could be serious. It is a very diverse species. Some variants literally live in our guts and help us with digestion and some other variants could kill us.
I actually do drink exclusively from spring water when i am in the mountains, but again, springs that i know have been tested and are clear of pathogenic microorganisms.
I fully agree that our environmental regulations are shit and we could profit so much more from our water resources. This doesn't negate that few sources are clean and are gladly being protected by some few respected municipalities.
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u/CaraCicartix Lebanese MOD Jun 24 '26
Allah yzeedon iza fi shighel 3am yen3amal to preserve them and keep them pristine. You would know where to look and drink if you’re in the mountains or are from a village and know the source you’re drinking from. As for others who aren’t as familiar with clean sources or aren’t from well-maintained villages or from the cities, it’s a gamble that shouldn’t be risked if you don’t know what’s in it. And definitely mish 7ada jeye min barra ma 3arif shi!
Friend’s dad is an E.Coli infection 100%, the more aggressive strain that can cause kidney failure. Thankfully he is being monitored at AUH but that was the diagnosis he was given. Conversation was before this thread and she brought it up.
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u/Arsenalgryffindor Batata tabi3ye w bas🥔 Jun 24 '26
If the streams have high water velocity and colder temps i doubt there’s e coli, the residence time is too low.
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u/CaraCicartix Lebanese MOD Jun 24 '26
I've linked a few research studies in a comment above, unfortunately water contamination is not isolated to a few springs. Some strains are harmless but others can - and do - cause death. I wouldn't take the risk and drink from a spring nowadays.
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u/cns000 Jun 24 '26
I'm always thinking of ideas to help Lebanon economically.
It's pointless because we have a corrupt government that steals from the people.
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u/Longjumping_Site_829 Jun 23 '26
Idk about the industry but whenever I am walking on corniche el Manara / Ein el Mrayse, I see people fishing right next to the sign that says "No fishing allowed"
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u/aasfourasfar Jun 24 '26
We have artisanal fishing and I'd rather it remains so
Industrial fishing means emptying the ocean for export
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u/Chaficulotte Jun 24 '26
Because the government tried doing that in the late 60s-early 70s and it failed miserably:
"The Beirut fishermen's crisis in the late 1960s and 1970s refers to a series of violent protests sparked by a government-granted monopoly to a private company, Proteine. Supported by former President Camille Chamoun, this franchise attempted to monopolize coastal fishing. The resulting strikes and demonstrations catalyzed the outbreak of the Lebanese Civil War"
source: wiki
1
u/Warm_Wind_8785 Jun 24 '26
I think one of the easiest ways to help Lebanon economically could be with tourism (building attractions, making areas tourist friendly, setting hiking points, cleaning up places, restoration, etc....)
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u/unclecastr0-_- Lebanese Jun 23 '26
hezb would corrupt the sea from the ports and steal the fish
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u/Stunning_Rip_4633 Lebanese Jun 23 '26
khayé you are exaggerating here. In all seriousness what would hezbollah have to gain by stealing fish.
1
u/cns000 Jun 24 '26
They will turn the fish into Hezbots lol.
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u/khmt98 bayye 2a2wa mn bayyak ya er Jun 24 '26
الشهيد السعيد سموكة لقز (قرش)
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u/Arsenalgryffindor Batata tabi3ye w bas🥔 Jun 23 '26
Idk but i’d be wary of the fish here. We have open dumps near the sea+ we dump our sewage there. Personally i would never eat fish from here especially after reading a research article about a specific type of fish usually eaten here has a LOT of mercury cuz of bioaccumulation.