The World From Below

Place

Egypt · Greater Cairo / Giza Nile islands

Cairo

A megacity on the Nile where island fishing communities sit a ferry ride from downtown banks — and where declining river catches have pushed fishers toward collecting plastic for pay.

Illustrative photograph of boats on the Nile with Cairo skyline (Pexels / Mokhalad Ali). Editorial place card image — not tied to a specific Field Note subject.

Illustrative — boats on the Nile, Cairo (Pexels / Mokhalad Ali). Used to identify the place, not a Field Note subject’s home or boat. · Credit: Mokhalad Ali / Pexels · Source: https://www.pexels.com/photo/white-boats-on-the-sea-under-the-sky-13396632/

Related forces

River & Catch

Stories

The Catch He Hauls Instead

On a Cairo Nile island, a fisherman whose winter catch collapsed now earns more gathering plastic than fish — and rebuilt family life from that trade.