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Gaza fishermen are now allowed by the Israeli navy to fish up to eight nautical miles off the coast after what the UN described as a "near total ban" on fishing since last June, when Gaza-based militants from the armed Palestinian faction, Hamas, abducted an Israeli soldier.

The best fishing begins at about 18 nautical miles out, Gaza fishermen say. However, they have not been allowed so far out for such a long time that the coastal waters have been overexploited, resulting in the depletion of breeding grounds.

Israel said the restrictions were necessary to stop weapons and drugs smuggling into Gaza, though the Oslo Accords of 1993 stipulated that Palestinian fishermen were entitled to fish up to 20 nautical miles out.

"Our fishermen are now very poor. If you go to their homes you will see their families don't have good clothes. On the other hand, the sales of what fish we have are very low. This is now a very weak industry," said market owner Mohammed Abu Kheir.

Demand for fish in Gaza has fallen thanks to spiralling poverty, according to the World Food Programme and the Food and Agriculture Organisation, which in March reported that more than half of Gazans suffered from food insecurity.

"Meat and fish are expensive and people aren't eating them so much. So they aren't getting enough protein in general," said Amir Yassine, a WFP fieldworker.

"The fishing industry faces long-term decline and even possible extinction if the current restrictions are maintained," warned the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in its report Gaza Fishing: An Industry in Danger. It urged Israel to increase the range allowed to fishermen.

"No formal communication exists between the Israel Defence Forces and fishermen over the range to which boats are permitted. This lack of dialogue has led to the deaths, injuries and continuing arrest of fishermen," the report said.