Fishing boats gather along the waters of Al-Faw in Basra governorate as fishermen begin the peak spring season, navigating restricted routes near the Gulf. Photo by 964media
Al-Faw fishermen press on through peak season as war reshapes Gulf waters
AL-FAW — Iraqi fishermen in Al-Faw are continuing their peak fishing season despite tightened security restrictions and a transformed maritime landscape, as the regional war plays out on the opposite shore and familiar routes close off around them.
The town, where the Shatt al-Arab meets the Gulf, is Iraq’s largest fishing hub. Across the eastern bank lies Iran’s Abadan, home to oil facilities and naval bases that fishermen say have been under U.S. strikes for weeks. Several said they have watched missiles hit the opposite shore but insisted the developments have not stopped their work.
What has changed is their range. Fishermen say Kuwaiti boats have disappeared from the waters and their own navigation has been restricted to about 11 kilometers from Al-Faw, with key areas including the breakwater at the Grand Faw Port and fishing grounds known locally as “Tabga Sea” and “Gammouri buoy” now off limits, particularly after foreign vessels caught fire near the entrance to Khor Abdullah.
“Iraqi patrols are tightening restrictions on us,” said fisherman Salem Nasser. “If we reach the middle of the territorial waters, Iraqi naval patrols stop us, confiscate our official documents, and we may be referred to court.” He added that Iranian patrols, by contrast, have not prevented Iraqi fishermen from operating even inside Iranian territorial waters.
Fisherman Abdul Hussein Khattab said Iranian fishermen remain active at sea. “Iranian fishermen are present at sea, and we sell them fish and buy bread from them,” he said, as he prepared for the season that runs through September. Others told a different story — fisherman Karim Ouda said he has seen no warships and conducts no trade with Iranians, staying close to the Iraqi coast. Haitham Khattab said he has noticed no change in fishing activity since the war began Feb. 28.
The accounts paint a picture of a community caught between the impulse to work and a security environment that is tightening around them — with the war close enough to see but, for now, not close enough to stop the nets going in.