Enab Baladi – Zeinab Dawwa
Many fish farmers have returned to their profession in the al-Ghab Plain, located in western Hama countryside, after years of disruption due to the war that afflicted the region following the onset of the Syrian revolution in 2011. This interruption led to a decline in fish farming, which was once known for exporting the finest quality fish to other Syrian provinces and neighboring countries.
The al-Ghab Plain is one of the famous regions in Syria for fish farming, as fish and aquaculture represent an economic source for the local residents.
During the military confrontations in the al-Ghab Plain and its surrounding areas in western Hama, the regime cut off fuels, animal feed, veterinary medicines, and electricity from the area, marking the beginning of a decline in fish production in the al-Ghab Plain.
Journey of displacement
Hassan Aliwi recounts to Enab Baladi his story of being displaced with his family from the al-Ghab Plain area in 2019 to Harem in Idlib countryside, as he had to leave all the fish farms he had invested heavily in. Upon his return, he found them completely looted, and he could not find the motors and nets along with other equipment and tools he had left behind.
He stated that after being displaced to Harem, his suffering was compounded, as he had left fish farms that were estimated to yield profits of about $50,000 per pond, but all the equipment was stolen.
In Harem, despite the financial difficulties and significant challenges in marketing and selling the production, Aliwi established a fish farm in the countryside of Jindires after being displaced and another in the al-Assi countryside covering approximately 50 dunams. The financial difficulties were evident in paying additional costs and marketing the production.
The farmer added that this profession has been a family trade passed down from his grandfather and father, and his father helped him develop his tools. He learned about fish farming, random and artificial breeding, and fish diseases and treatments through continuous practice.
A return accompanied by challenges
After the fall of the Assad regime, Hassan Aliwi returned to the al-Ghab Plain to resume his profession, but he found the fish farms in a deplorable state needing rehabilitation from scratch. He is trying to reclaim the land by utilizing a bulldozer and preparing water motors.
Amid this process, Aliwi incurs significant costs, with the bulldozer costing about $50 per hour, while the prices of necessary materials such as blocks and cement continue to rise, exacerbating the situation.
Fish farming was at its peak before the revolution, with several facilitations offered to fish farm owners, but currently, they receive no support, according to the farmer.
Aliwi noted that 70% of their work depends on ornamental fish, which is exported to Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey, in addition to catfish being bred either randomly or artificially.
Not the only one
The fall of the Assad regime provided an opportunity for several farmers who had to leave their farms to return. Farmer Salem Khaled Haj Qadour told Enab Baladi that he left his farms, where he learned the fundamentals of fish farming since his childhood.
In the days of the revolution and before being displaced to Turkey, Qadour continued to work despite all the challenges, but after the Assad regime took control of the area, he left everything behind and moved to Turkey.
He pointed out that the damages are significant, related to the destruction of all the fish farms, as they were looted, and the building he resided in within the farm was also destroyed along with the theft of iron.
Qadour struggles with delays in production due to difficulties after his return. He called on the government to provide power to those working in fish farming in the region, as the transformers that supplied the farms with electricity for water have been stolen. Currently, they depend on solar energy, which only allows them to supply water during the day.
Qadour explained that he raises carp, tilapia, and silver fish, adding that this profession means a lot to him as it was passed down from his grandfather and it brings joy, requiring effort and monitoring for success in this work.
Statistics indicate that the al-Ghab Plain produced around six thousand tons of fish annually from private and state-run farms before the revolution, due to the suitable environment for fish farming that the al-Ghab Plain enjoys, housing approximately 350 fish farms covering an area of 6,400 dunams, where fish are raised in earthen ponds ranging in area from 10 to 50 dunams each.
Displaced individuals return to fish farming in al-Ghab Plain Enab Baladi.
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