Fishermen face deadly dangers as Yemen’s Red Sea becomes a warzone

What the report says

Al Jazeera reports that fishermen along Yemen’s Red Sea coast, especially around the port city of al-Makha and nearby al-Khawkhah, are abandoning the trade or working much closer to shore because the sea has become too dangerous. The article describes how years of war, shifting front lines and renewed fighting have turned fishing grounds into a high-risk area where crews face fire, sea mines, arrests and restrictions on where they can sail.

According to the report, fishermen say their livelihoods have been squeezed by expensive fuel, boat costs and limits imposed at different times by both Houthi forces and pro-government groups. Some fishers told Al Jazeera they have lost colleagues, seen boats hit by mines, or heard of fishermen going missing. The story also notes that the Red Sea coastline is strategically important because of Hodeidah port and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, and that regional tensions have intensified since Houthi attacks on shipping began after the Gaza war started in October 2023.

Local fishing representatives cited by Al Jazeera say more than 30,000 fishermen have been affected and that many families now depend on unstable or alternative work. Some men have moved to safer coastal areas such as Aden, while others have left fishing altogether.

The report matters because fishing is a major source of income in western Yemen, and the disruption underscores how the wider conflict is deepening civilian hardship and pushing skilled workers out of a traditional industry.