ANCIENT FISHING TECHNIQUES ON THE ISLAND OF DJERBA Fixed Fisheries

Along the coast of the island of Djerba, there exists a very original and unique system designed to use the tidal current to catch fish: the fixed fishery.

The principle behind the operation of these Zarbas (fixed fisheries) is quite simple: first, the fish are blocked by a barrier made of palm branches, then guided by the tidal current toward death chambers called Achouchas.

These large enclosures contain additional traps: the Drinas, basket-like fish traps that are easy to enter but impossible to exit from on one’s own.

— S. Tlatli, “The Island of the Lotophagi”