img width="860" height="585" src="http://www.dailynewsegypt.com/beta/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Fisherman19-860x585.jpg" class="attachment-large-gallery" alt="Fishermen are under the authority of the General Authority for Fish Resources Development (GAFRD). They face arrests inside the country, yet consider themselves the "state's eyes in the sea" (Photo by Jihad Abaza)"/ Fishermen are under the authority of the General Authority for Fish Resources Development (GAFRD). They face arrests inside the country, yet consider themselves the "state's eyes in the sea" (Photo by Jihad Abaza) Ezbet El-Borg fishermen claim the authorities' obstinacy acts against them, with the fishermen saying the government frequently places obstacles on their path (Photo by Jihad Abaza) Almost 30km north of Damietta, at the end of a very narrow and unpaved road alongside a dirty canal filled with rubbish, lies the small fishermen village of Ezbet El-Borg. It is rarely visited by officials, and the hundreds of fishermen in the village live an anonymous existence, while facing the dangers of sailing out on the Mediterranean Sea on a near daily basis. "Everything we have was made through self-efforts and self-funding such as donations by fishermen themselves," says Araby Khalil, Secretary-General of the Fishermen Fund. Ezbet El-Borg's fishermen live day-by-day, struggling to make a living. Having been in the business for decades, they say they have developed themselves over the years, while the state has not contributed to their improvement or empowerment since the 1980s. With no health insurance and small pensions after the age of 65, Khalil says fishermen have never cost the state much.
