Hundreds of children flocked to Gaza beaches as dozens of eagle rays have been caught off the Strip’s seashores signaling a long-awaited revitalization of the fishing activity following a 10-day hiatus.
Palestinian fishermen in the besieged coastal enclave of Gaza have managed to ensnare dozens of eagle rays using their ad hoc fishing gear and lures.
In a scene that rarely occurs in the blockaded Gaza Strip men women and children gathered near the seaside drawing heartfelt pleasure from an event that has given them a short respite from the daily images of destruction abductions by the Israeli navy confiscation of fishing vessels and air raids rocking the enclave on a sporadic basis.
The eagle rays are a group of cartilaginous fishes in the family Myliobatidae consisting mostly of large species living in the open ocean rather than on the sea bottom. Eagle rays feed on mollusks and crustaceans crushing their shells with their flattened teeth. They are excellent swimmers and are able to breach the water up to several meters above the surface. They can give birth to up to six young at a time. They range from 0.48 to 9.1 m (1.6 to 29.9 ft) in length.
In Gaza eagle rays are usually caught as of the end of February until early April. It is bought at eight to ten shekels a kilogram considered by many an up-to-standard price in an area that has long been stricken by poverty unemployment and lack of financial resources due to the decade-long Israeli blockade.
