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On February 10, 2022, I led an assessment of the sewage issues in Bucerias that disturbed critical Humpback whales' nursing grounds. I shared the results with concerned locals in the form of a report. Discussion on evidence collection, finding an environmental lawyer in Mexico to take on sewage issue in Bucerias. #Bucerias #sewage #ocean #conservation #humpback #whales 

The Kiss of Death

"Kerkennah is more than an island; it is an ancestral contract with the sea. For centuries, our people have practiced Charfia, a passive, rhythmic dance of palm fronds and tides that feed families without wounding the ocean. It is the heritage my father left behind, and the legacy I carry as an ocean conservationist.

While Charfia honors the sea, a silent predator is gutting it from below: Bottom Trawling. Locally known as ‘Kiss’ trawling, this practice is the 'Kiss of Death' for the Gulf of Gabès. These boats drag heavy nets across the seafloor, turning a once-lush underwater garden into a marine desert.

The numbers are a wake-up call the Tunisian government can no longer ignore:

• A 90% Loss: Since the 1970s, the Gulf of      Gabès—once home to the Mediterranean’s most extensive Posidonia oceanica seagrass meadows has seen      nearly 90% of those meadows vanish.
• 95% Waste: ‘Kiss’ trawlers use illegal,      small-mesh nets where up to 95% of the catch is      bycatch: juvenile fish, turtles, and dolphins discarded dead into      the water.
• The Surge: In Sfax alone, the number of      illegal trawlers has jumped by nearly 40% in just four years.

The irony is as deep as the damage. While the artisanal fishers, who make up 92% of the national fleet, struggle to survive, illegal trawlers are often fueled by the very state subsidies intended for small-scale fishers. This isn’t just an environmental crisis; it’s an economic suicide mission. Between 1990 and 2014, the degradation of seagrass cost the Tunisian economy more than 750 million Euros.

If the Tunisian government does not enforce the ban on bottom trawling in shallow waters and stop the 'state-sponsored' destruction of the coast, they risk losing more than fish. They risk an EU export ban that could derail the entire industry and the permanent loss of cultural heritage. 

My father’s sea is disappearing. It’s time to stop the 'Kiss' before the Gulf of Gabès goes silent forever.