1.
GV Fishermen pulling in fish in net in pond (2 shots)
0.13

2.
SV Fishermen insert pole to hold up net
0.22

3.
TV Fishermen pull the net together with the catch
0.26

4.
CU & SV Fishermen take fish from net to can which carries catch uphill to waiting truck with water which drives off (4 shots)
0.50

5.
GV Truck at sorting pen, fish are sorted (4 shots)
1.07

6.
GV Fish put back into truck with water and into another pond (4 shots)
1.41



Initials BB/1830



Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: If fish is on the menu at an Israeli restaurant or being served at home, then the chances are it will have come from one of the nation's fish farms. Eighty per cent of the fish consumed in Israel comes from these farms where fish are grown almost like any other crop.

SYNOPSIS: On this fish farm at the Kibbutz of Gan Shmuel near Hadera, a catch is being hauled in, a process virtually the same throughout the 80 kibbutzim which provide 80 per cent of the nation's supply of fish. Between them, these Kibbutzim produce some 14,000 tons of carp, shrimp, trout and St. Peters Fish annually.

Once out of the water, the fish are whisked up a conveyer belt and taken to the sorting point. although only a relatively small area of the country is given over to fish farming, Israel consumes four-fifths of its annual 20 million dollar haul and exports the remainder.

Not all the fish netted in one day are used. If they're not a marketable size or the catch is bigger than required, then they go back into the truck and are taken back to another holding pool.

There is no escape for these fish. Though back in the swim, they'll eventually be needed. Meanwhile, by careful feeding regulation, they can be kept at the same size until required. New species are being developed, among them the Silver Carp which produces an entirely male off-spring which rapidly grows to marketable size. Another fish taking an increasing section of the market is the St. Peter, famous since the days of Jesus. Its breeding is being intensified.