By Ali Mustafa
Bir al-Abd, Egypt (EFE).- Along the shore of Lake Bardawil in Egypt’s North Sinai, young men rise at dawn to collect birds caught in centuries-old nets. What has long been a seasonal tradition, passed down since Pharaonic times, is now contributing to the decline of migratory species facing extinction.
Every year between August and November, residents of North Sinai set up nets along the Mediterranean coast to catch birds flying south from Europe.
The hunt provides both food and extra income, but conservationists warn that unregulated practices are pushing populations to dangerous lows.
Salem, a 26-year-old hunter, has been setting traps since childhood.
His friend Nasar, 23, described the preparation: “We prepare wooden beams and nets before the season begins. Each net is different, some for small birds, others for quail, pigeons, or the European turtle dove,” he told EFE.
The turtle dove, one of the rarest species, is also the hardest to catch because of its sharp vision. A single bird can sell for up to 600 Egyptian pounds (approximately 13 dollars).
Migratory birds cross the region twice a year, southbound in autumn and northbound in spring, only to encounter the nets that stretch for miles along the coast.
Harmful techniques and fewer birds
Wildlife photographer and Egyptian Nature Protection Association member Ahmed Wahid said hunting methods have changed in ways that endanger bird populations.
“In the past, people set nets and ate whatever they caught. The rest continued their journey and returned in spring to reproduce,” he explained. “Now hunters use loudspeakers to lure flocks. Fewer escapes, fewer breeds, and fewer chicks are born.”
He warned that the turtle dove is already listed as “vulnerable to extinction” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Hunters themselves admit the numbers have dropped dramatically in recent years.
Nesar, however, defended the practice as an essential source of income: “The real problem is when people hunt birds on their return journey to Europe. That was always considered wrong,” he said.
Weak controls, strong demand
Local authorities publish annual hunting regulations, including bans on loudspeakers and a 50-bird quota per person. But enforcement is almost nonexistent.
Rasmi Eid, a local trader who buys birds from hunters to clean and resell, said demand far exceeds official limits.
“I don’t know the exact number, but probably 10 boxes of birds every day, depending on the species,” he told EFE. “And that’s not counting what is eaten or sold inside Sinai.”
With profits at stake and little oversight, conservationists fear that Egypt’s age-old tradition of bird hunting could drive some species to disappear altogether. EFE
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