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Fishermen remove fish from nets after returning from a fishing trip on the Mediterranean Sea, in the Israeli Arab village of Jisr az-Zarqa, in the early morning of Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021 (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
JISR AZ-ZARQA (AP) After weathering a year of the coronavirus pandemic, the fishermen of an Arab village in central Israel have been dealt another blow by a mysterious oil spill in the Mediterranean.
Grappling with its worst ecological disaster in years, the government this week ordered a precautionary ban on selling seafood.
Despite the ban, Jisr az-Zarqa’s fishermen went to sea Thursday to bring in their catch.
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Despite the ban, Jisr al-Zarqa s fishermen went to sea Thursday to bring in their catch.
Sami Ali, a representative for the village s fishermen, insisted it was safe to keep on fishing.
“The tar floats on the sea, on the water, it doesn’t penetrate deep. It does damage to the reefs, maybe also seaweed, the beach and many facilities. Also it damaged our equipment,” he said. “But the fish do not eat things that are not natural.”
Scientists disagree, saying it s far too risky to keep fishing as they continue to analyze the disaster.