(6 Nov 2019) LEAD IN: Autumn is time for crab fishing and eating in Gaza.
The crustaceans are can be found near the shore - for some they provide an income, for others, an affordable meal.
STORY-LINE:
In Gaza, autumn means that crab is on the menu once again.
Its crab fishing season and as the sun rises, fishermen pass crates of their catch along to each other.
The shore line is abundant with crabs and amateur fishermen can catch them easily.
Since Israel and Egypt imposed a blockade when the militant Palestinian group Hamas seized power in 2007, the permissible fishing area off Gaza is restricted.
Crab season provides temporary jobs in a place where unemployment has exceeded 50 per cent.
But there are challenges.
"In previous seasons, we would catch more crabs, but today we catch less," explains fisherman Abu Emad Al-Hessi.
Veteran fisherman Mohamad al-Najjar is using crab season to get back on his feet.
"My boat was seized in 2018 and it spent nearly two years held by the (Israeli) occupation with its motor and equipment," he says.
"They returned it after two years with nothing in it. It was damaged and not suitable for anything," he recalls.
Trying to offset some of the damage during the crab season, he borrows the motor of a fellow fisherman after it's moored and attaches it to his boat.
"We work in crabs to make 10 or 20 shekels (approx. 2.8 or 5.7 US dollars); whatever sustenance God provides to us, so we can get by instead of begging," continues al-Najjar.
In the Shati beach refugee camp, families sit on the two sides of the coastal road, releasing crabs entangled in heaps of nets and placing them in blue crates lined along the pavements.
Fisherman Anwar Kaskein is happy with the job.
"The work in crabs is good. It has its advantages and it is profitable," he says.
"They are cheap as well. Two weeks ago, a kilogram (approx. 2.2 pounds) of chicken was 14 Shekels (approx. 4 US dollars), but the crate of crabs was at 15 Shekels (approx. 4.3 US dollars). A kilogram of chicken is not enough for a family, but a box of crabs is," he adds.
Though the price is right for the consumer, Kaskein says it's not always enough to make a profit.
"When Israel allows exports to the West Bank, you can sell the crate for at least 50 Shekels (approx. 14 US dollars) and the fisherman then makes a profit," he says.
"But now, we just make the minimum," he adds.
And for people in Gaza looking to share a meal, crabs are an ideal choice.
"It is noticeable that there is a huge demand from the residents of the Gaza Strip to buy crabs because of the high price of fish, that the price of a kilo of fish is 20 or 30 shekels (approx. 5.7 or 8.5 US dollars), and a kilo is not enough for two or three people, but the crab box, is enough for six to eight people," says chef Mohammad Matar.
Crabs are usually roasted on wood fire, boiled or grilled in ovens, with seasoning usually involving lemon, garlic, cumin and tomato paste.
While a kilogram of Mediterranean shrimp can be sold for 20 US dollars, a kilogram of crabs cost about 2 US dollars.
About 80 per cent of Gaza's 2 million residents rely on some kind of humanitarian and food assistance to get by, according to UN Reguee agency UNRWA, so crabs a welcome way for Gaza's poor to stock up on protein.
Bashir Shatat is among the satisfied customers.
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