Manama - Bahrain's fishermen vowed to continue their weekly protests against real estate developers, who are said to be damaging the country's marine environment by large-scale land reclamation projects, a local newspaper reported Monday.

The fishermen have been staging a series of demonstrations and strikes over the past seven weeks, leaving their boats tied up to protest against inaction by the government, according to Bahrain's Daily News.

Real estate developers are continuing to reclaim the sea despite a ban imposed last month by the Manama Municipal Council on reclamation work being done on the coastal strip in the Seef area, fishermen say.

"Reclamation has now reached an unacceptable level. The coasts have been turned into multi-billion-dinar investments," Hameed al-Basri, the chairman of the council's services and public utilities committee, was quoted as saying by Daily News.

"We will never quit and we will demonstrate every week in the sea and on the coast. Let's see how the work will go ahead," said al-Basri, who will be leading the demonstration on Friday.

A study carried out by the Bahrain Centre for Studies and Research released in June found that 96 per cent of fishermen surveyed said land reclamation was the main cause of falling catches.

The United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warns that environmental issues were a major concern for the island's fishing industry.

"Extensive land reclamation, dredging and destruction of reef areas have impacted significantly on fish stocks, in addition to over-exploitation," the FAO warned.

Bahrain's fishing industry contributes only 0.4 per cent to the island's gross domestic product but from a socio-economic perspective, however, the sector provides the main form of economic activity and jobs for many coastal villages, the FAO said.

Fishermen, who dock their boats near Bahrain's historic fort, say the government is refusing to build them a small jetty while giving developers a free hand to reclaim the sea despite restrictions by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organizations (UNESCO).

The Seef area where the Bahrain Fort stands, has been designated as a world heritage site by UNESCO. The fort was the power seat for the 4,000-year-old Dilmun civilization.

In June, Bahrain's Prime Minister Sheikh Khalifa bin Salaman al-Khalifa promised the government would consider fishermen's complaints but said a balance had to be stuck between traditional lifestyles and progress. (dpa)