The Land Centre held a training workshop for Edco fishermen union on 07.10.2012 and the headquarters of the union in the city, board members and some fishermen attended the meeting that revolved around the internal and external problems dogging the union and how to overcome them.
The discussion of the first meeting was about the role of the union and its importance, terms of work and success and the need for Interior democracy, independence from political parties and government groups and its effectiveness amid audiences and shared stakeholders, then the second session which was around the need to invent a program to develop and solve the problems of fishermen despite the multiplicity of the problems related Edco fishermen starting from removing encroachments off the lake in addition to stopping sewage, which contaminates the water and leads to fish poisoning. The participants agreed on the need to work in campaigns against the men of power and Fisheries Commission to force it to remove infringements that got judicial rulings and administrative decisions released against.
Mentioning the rampant corruption within Fisheries body specially regarding Al Khubiza and Kom-Plag farms, participants reviewed the environmental, economic and social townspeople damage caused by the tear gas company from Rasheed, Electricity Company of Abu Qir (Badr line), and the negative effects of the decision of the bridging lake stones to build 32 towers for the passage of a power line, which threatens wasting lake water and infringement on the fishermen rights.

This is in addition to the absence of safe fishing standards and the deteriorating conditions in the lake because of the corruption of the staff in the Commission and police bodies; the violations carried out by the government against the rights of fishermen like ill-treatment and increasing tax burdens that hinder their work in safe fishing.
The meeting discussed the need to choose a problem or two to work on within a period not exceeding three months, and participants agreed that the removal of encroachments on the lake is the first priority, which belongs to all workers in fishing in Edco specially the union members in the coming months, through: -
1 – The implementation of the judgment No. 3298 issued by the Administrative Court in Alexandria, which states the need to remove all encroachments on the lake by the aggressors by the power of Fisheries Commission.
2 – The need to implement Resolution No. 37 of 2010, which decided the removal of encroachments by offenders within the Bogas zone specially Mr. Ahmed Tutu, Abdul Hamid Zaytoon, Ibrahim Zaytoon, Saad Mustafa Abul Maaty and Hassan Ramadan Mohammed. The decision also recommended revoking the licenses and dismissing both Mr. Mohammed Abou El-Maati Ahmed and Ahmed Ibrahim Abdel Fattah, and retaining the body rights from them.
3 – Organizing a media conference at the end of October in Edco with inviting specialists and representatives of political parties and media in solidarity with the demands of fishermen to stop the encroachment on the lake and prosecuting corrupt Authority.
4 – Starting an ascending strike by the union members and all the interested in Edco to protect the lake from wasting water in front of the headquarters of Fisheries to implement the law and remove the encroachment by those of power that are supported by the corrupt authority.
The execution steps and responsibilities were arranged for the implementation of those activities and for the union to do its role in supporting and protecting the interests of its members and to ensure their effectiveness and strengthening support based on the stakeholders of small-scale fishers.
The participants called the Land Centre to submit their demands to the authorities and to take legal action to enforce implementing the judgments in supporting the rights of small-scale fishermen in safe fishing, decent living and to protect our water resources from waste.