Photo credit: Magd Al-Bawaab (Egypt)

Description: Abdel Rahman El Gamal (Website founder)

The photo shows the fishing boats in Lake Bardawil while ready to go fishing after the closing for about four months every year. The closing of the lake fishery is based on gilthead seabream, Sparus aurata and so is determined annually after the ready-to-spawn broodstock of gilthead seabream ends their spawning run; leaving the lake to spawn in the Mediterranean Sea. Therefore, the closing season ensures that the seabream spawners are not within the reach of the fishing gears of fishermen during the spawning season of the species. In the most recent fishery season, the closing started on 30 December, 2013 and lasted till May 2, 2014.