According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, oyster fishing is authorized in Tunisia in the season between October and May and prohibited during the other months of the year.
Long hours for oysters
And in the Gulf of Gabes in Tunisia, women walk the beach for hours to collect oysters that they resell to feed their families.
They don’t need a lot of equipment to practice the tiring job of collecting shellfish, since all they need are gloves, machetes and large bowls, in addition to plastic shoes.
Among them is Fatima Bahri, a 50-year-old woman, who starts her tiring job every day from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. in order to support her children given the difficult economic situation. in Tunisia.
oyster drop
Climate change, as well as the invasion of blue crabs on Tunisian beaches, are all factors that have made it more difficult for these women to work due to the decrease in the number of oysters from year to year.
For their part, the Tunisian authorities are working to protect oyster farmers and train them to improve the performance of this sector as well as to preserve the quality of the products mainly exported.
According to a report by the organization, more than 4,000 women work in its production at 17 sites in Tunisia, notably in Gabes and Sfax.
The report adds that this sector produces an average of 700 tons per year, with a focus on exporting to various countries.
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