Photos: Moroccan fisherwomen break tradition, venture into deep waters

Members of the first Moroccan female fishing cooperative prepare go out to sea in a fishing boat, in the village of Belyounech on the coast of the Mediterranean, northern Morocco.

In the village of Belyounech in Morocco, a group of 19 women has become the country’s female artisanal fishing cooperative, entering a profession that has always been dominated by men.

Of the 19 women in the Belyounech cooperative, only four had previously made money from their catch. The cooperative, the members of which have undergone two years of training, hopes to earn money from the fish for the first time. However, these women continue to face opposition from men

The women in the area have long mended fishing nets or helped their husbands fish, and they've yearned for decades for a spot of their own on a fishing boat in the Mediterranean.

Fatiha Naji, right, Fatima Mekhnas, centre and Saida Fetouh, left, members of the first Moroccan female fishing cooperative go out to sea in a fishing boat, in the village of Belyounech.

Members of the first Moroccan female fishing cooperative receive first aid training in the village of Belyounech.

Seagulls fly over a beach in the village of Belyounech, where the the first Moroccan female fishing cooperative was started, on the coast of the Mediterranean, northern Morocco.

Members of the first Moroccan female fishing cooperative go out to sea in a fishing boat, in the village of Belyounech.

Amina Mekhnes, a member of the Moroccan female fishing cooperative, poses for a photo as she prepares to go to sea in a fishing boat, in the village of Belyounech.

Fishermen hang out in a coffee shop in the village of Belyounech.

Freshly caught fish are displayed for customers in a market in the village of Belyounech.

Saida Fetouh, left, and Habiba Mekhnes, right, members of the first Moroccan female fishing cooperative, are seen in their home with their daughters, in the village of Belyounech.

Fishing boats are stationed at a beach in the village of Belyounech on the coast of the Mediterranean, northern Morocco.

Amember of the first female fishing cooperative prepares fishing nets in the village of Belyounech

Members of the first Moroccan female fishing cooperative go out to sea in a fishing boat.