Fishermen face deadly dangers as Yemen’s Red Sea becomes a warzone

Al-Makha, Yemen – Mazhar works on a sea that has long been a front line in Yemen’s conflict.

The fisherman, based in the city of al-Makha (also known as Mocha) on Yemen’s Red Sea coast, has long struggled to make a living since war arrived in the region in 2015.

Fuel is expensive, and so is renting a boat. But Mazhar, who is in his 40s and has a family that solely relies on the income from his fishing, has a bigger problem: whenever he sets out for the sea, he might not return home.

“Recently, a fishing boat in al-Khawkhah was fired on, and we lost two colleagues,” Mazhar said. “No one knows why, and the authorities haven’t announced the cause of the incident.”

Venturing beyond the shoreline is a dangerous gamble since the sea turned into a battlefield – Mazhar knows fishermen who have gone missing without a trace. But when there’s no food left at home, he decides to risk it anyway.

Red Sea restrictions

Yemen’s Red Sea coast is one of the main hubs of the country’s fishing industry, which before the war was the country’s second-largest source of export earnings after oil.

The Red Sea fishing industry has been impacted since the early years of the war, with fish exports from the region falling by about 70 percent, according to a 2018 study.

The region is strategically important for other reasons, too. Yemen’s principal port of Hodeidah sits about 160 kilometres (100 miles) up the coast from al-Makha, and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait lies at its southern entrance, controlling entry into one of the world’s most vital waterways. All of that means that the coastline has been heavily contested since the early days of the war.

Currently, the Houthi rebels control most of the territory from Yemen’s border with Saudi Arabia down to Hodeidah, with pro-government forces, largely the Guardians of the Republic force, operating south of the port city. The front line had been quiet in recent years, but recent Houthi attacks against pro-government forces across the country have also targeted al-Makha.

But it is events in the waters of the Red Sea that have drawn the most attention internationally. The Houthis began regularly striking shipping passing through the region after the beginning of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza in October 2023, and have also recently attacked Saudi shipping. The attacks have prompted the United States, the United Kingdom, Israel and Saudi Arabia to strike Houthi targets in Yemen at various times, including on the Red Sea.

Mazhar explained that fishermen now face strict boundaries at sea that they cannot cross. That is not only the case in al-Makha, but also in neighbouring al-Khawkhah district and large parts of the entire Red Sea coast.

“We pay money to buy scrap barrels and car bodies to dump into the sea to form artificial reefs. However, with every escalation in the Red Sea, we are denied access to our reefs for military reasons and are forced to fish near the shore,” Mazhar said.

Threats

“I cannot name the party restricting us right now because I am a fisherman, and speaking out could put me at risk,” Mazhar said. “But both warring sides have prevented us from sailing at different times. We are the victims of every faction fighting in our area.”

Before 2018, local fishermen say that the National Resistance Force (which the Guardians of the Republic forces later emerged out of) prevented fishermen from venturing into deep waters and reaching their reefs. Although restrictions were later eased, the fishermen say that both the Houthis and pro-government forces have placed restrictions on sailing since 2023.

“In the end, it is the fishermen who suffer to provide for their families,” Mazhar said. “We have no hand in this war, yet we bear its worst consequences.”

He added that several of his fellow fishermen have been arrested after being accused of smuggling or aiding one faction against another – claims he says are completely unfounded.

Akram, who also works as a fisherman in al-Makha, describes another danger: sea mines.

“Last year, I left home alongside two of my neighbours, and a sea mine exploded under their boat near the shore in al-Khawkhah,” he recalled. “It’s a sea mine; how can we avoid it? I can say with certainty that the Red Sea is no longer safe, and we have to move elsewhere.”

“We are witnessing the worst days in the Red Sea,” Akram added. “To be a fisherman in the Red Sea, you must carry your shroud on your shoulders.”

Fouad Doubla, head of the Fishermen’s Association in al-Khawkhah, told Al Jazeera that more than 30,000 fishermen have been affected by the conditions on the Red Sea coast and are struggling to provide basic necessities for their families, as fishing is their sole source of income.

Doubla noted that 113 fishermen have gone missing in the Red Sea since 2023, with their families receiving no information about their whereabouts. He added that the presence of sea mines is a direct consequence of the war that continuously threatens fishermen’s lives.

“Sea mines have killed 264 fishermen and maimed 215 others, forcing many to stop fishing and look for alternative work,” Doubla said, adding fishermen had also been detained by pirates in the Red Sea.

Alternative choices

Doubla explained that the difficulties and dangers encountered by fishermen have many looking for a different way to make money.

“When fishermen realised they could no longer sail safely and that their families lacked food, they were left with no choice but to either risk their lives at sea or find another job – and many chose the latter to stay safe,” Doubla said.

For Akram, that means relocating to Aden, where he believes fishing on Yemen’s southern coastline will be safer.

“Nothing is worth risking our lives for. The families of those who were lost are now struggling just to find enough food. I encourage my colleagues to join me and move to a safe area.”

Ismail, a 48-year-old who comes from a long line of fishermen, decided to leave the profession behind entirely last year, selling the gear he had collected over 20 years and using the proceeds to buy a minibus instead.

“Danger surrounds fishermen from every direction, and we never know when we will meet our fate at sea,” Ismail told Al Jazeera while holding the steering wheel of his minibus. “I don’t think any wise man would continue fishing amid such danger.”

Ismail’s wife supported his decision to quit fishing and sold some of her jewellery to help him start his new business, relieved to end the constant anxiety she and their five children felt whenever he went out to sea.

“Sometimes we stayed at sea for four days, which was completely normal under regular circumstances,” Ismail said. “But nowadays, it isn’t safe. When I stayed out for more than a day, my family would panic, and I think they had every right to be worried.”

Today, Ismail earns a modest income driving his minibus, but he is content knowing he is safe and able to share every meal with his family without constant fear.

Mazhar, who continues to fish close to their shore, believes those who transitioned to new jobs have made the right choice.

“I’ve thought more than once about leaving this dangerous profession, but I have no alternative,” he said. “As soon as I find one, I won’t hesitate for a second.”