DESTRUCTION IN PARADISE

Today I'm sad and disgusted.

Usually - being one of life's eternal optimists - I can see a silver lining in the blackest of clouds, but not today.

Last year a fishing enthusiast who is the owner of a holiday apartment at the beach resort where we live, caught an Eagle Ray.


These beautiful creatures - which can measure as much as 2.5 metres from wingtip to wingtip and are considered endangered - are peaceful and harmless.
I've been fortunate enough to have them glide past me while I've been snorkelling.


Mr. Super Fisherman thought he was clever.

Not for him the patient waiting, the skillful reeling in of a catch. That was for mugs.

He had his own smart method.

He'd line up four or five rods on the beach, swim out over the small reef with a small live fish on each line as bait which he weighted down on the sea bed, leaving the unfortunate little fish trapped overnight in the hopes of attracting something larger.

He would then swagger up in the morning to see what he'd caught - or rather what had been unlucky enough to get hooked without any effort from him.

In this case the beautiful - and quite inedible - Eagle Ray which must have struggled for hours as it had half of it's jaw torn away as it tried to release itself from the huge hook and very thick fishing line.

The so-called fisherman discovered his "catch" very early in the morning, dragged it onto the beach and left it to die just so that we could all applaud his amazing skill at having landed such a monster.

Wow.

How impressive.

Several other residents were as horrified as I was about this needless carnage and we agreed that this kind of fishing should not be allowed on the private beach of our resort.
We would however set aside a 10-metre stretch of beach - away from where we all swim and snorkel - for people who wished to fish and could sit there with their rods in their hands.

I even painted two signs by hand.

The "no dogs" part is not because I dislike them I hasten to add, but just that a few irresponsible owners let them run anywhere off the leash and foul the beach without cleaning up after them.

Mr. Fisherman was surprisingly amenable and willingly complied, but a couple of others - including a woman - made it plain that they were going to fish anywhere they chose.
This is despite the area in question being beside a little man-made lagoon where small children can safely splash around and learn how to swim.

There is also the beginnings of a new coral reef which is forming after having had years of desecration due to local fishing boats dynamiting the area and dragging nets through it.
We are delighted to see colourful reef fish begin to populate the area and new tiny pieces of coral take hold on the rocks.

Today as I came down to the beach, this woman was fishing directly onto the rocks where the fish are breeding.

She was defiant and rude when approached which shocked me as she is a teacher at an international school in Cairo and herself a mother of two children.

Doesn't she realise that she should be setting an example to others?

Doesn't she care that her kids - and future grandchildren - will grow up in a world that has been ruined by their parents?

Egypt has become over the past few years - and not a moment too soon either - aware of the importance of conserving natural resources and are trying to get across the message to the general public.

As an educator this woman cannot be ignorant of the damage that she's doing - even if it is on a very small and personal scale.

I don't see how the wider issues of conservation and climate change will ever be solved if there are people in charge of educating future generations who cannot see the importance of protecting and conserving what is right in front of them.

Which is why today I can only feel despair.