Occupied Jerusalem: The Israeli government is echoing the words of Jesus with a new ban — asking the fishermen of the Sea of Galilee to cast aside their nets.
Jesus appealed to the fishermen to drop their work and follow him. The Israelis, however, have a more mundane reason — officials say a decade of overfishing has left the aquatic population of the Biblical body of water in danger.
The fishing ban will be in effect for two years, but even afterward, no one is expecting modern times to follow Biblical history, when Jesus directed fishermen to a spot where a "multitude of fish" nearly sank their boats.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Cabinet approved the ban last month. Oz Goffman of the Ministry of Agriculture said on Thursday that the parliament must still approve the measure before it takes effect.
Israeli officials and scientists who study the freshwater lake hope the ban will allow the population of St Peter's fish, a local breed of tilapia popular with locals and tourists, as well as other species to regenerate their numbers. In announcing the moratorium, Netanyahu said fishermen would receive financial support while game officials restocked the freshwater lake in northern Israel.
