With military tensions around Iran continuing, fishers in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have become the "collateral victims" of the war, the French daily Le Monde reported. The Strait of Hormuz has been effectively sealed off, paralyzing the UAE's fishing ecosystem.
According to Le Monde, with authorities in the UAE issuing a blanket sailing ban for safety reasons, hundreds of fishing boats have halted operations and remain tied up in port. Le Monde said, "In the eastern coastal city of Dibba Al-Fujairah, sounds believed to be explosions caused by Iranian drones or missiles being intercepted by the UAE's air defenses are heard every night."
In particular, as the Fujairah port, a global crude oil hub, has become a primary target, a sense of crisis is rising. On the 3rd and the 14th, debris from intercepted drones fell on Fujairah port, sparking fires, which temporarily halted crude and refined product loadings. With Iran's government designating UAE ports as "legitimate targets," fishers' anxiety has peaked.
The paralysis of the fishing industry has immediately spilled over into consumer food prices. With catches cut off, seafood markets across the UAE are experiencing an unprecedented shortage of supply. Prices for major fish favored by locals have surged 35% over the past 10 days. Most of the fish now on the market are imports brought in overland from neighboring Oman.
The first to be pushed to the brink by this situation are low-wage migrant workers. Fishers who had been making a living on monthly wages of about 1,500 dirhams (about 540,000 won) now have to worry about their pay due to the suspension of operations. Muhammad, who has worked in the UAE for 20 years, said in an interview with Le Monde, "With my income cut off, it's getting impossible to hold on," and added, "There's no option but to go back home."
Le Monde assessed that the war has brought the UAE's chronic weakness—food security—back to the surface. With a population of 11 million, the UAE relies on imports for more than 80% of its food. The government has recently launched large-scale projects to boost self-sufficiency in marine resources, but it remains helpless in the face of geopolitical risks.
Meanwhile, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz is selective by country. Abbas Araghchi, Iran's Minister of Foreign Affairs, said in an interview with SNN TV, a semi-official Iranian outlet, on the 16th that it is "closed only to enemies and those who support their attacks." In practice, ships from Iran, China and India are said to be transiting the Strait of Hormuz. The strait is a critical route through which about 20% of the world's seaborne crude oil flows.