Most of Israel's beaches are less polluted than they were a decade ago, but most streams flowing to the sea are still considered seriously polluted and must be treated more quickly, according to a report monitoring beach cleanliness for 2005. The report also calls for a prohibition on fishing along wide stretches of the beach due to major pollution problems.

Haifa Bay continues to have the most polluted beaches in Israel, the main source being the electrochemical industry, which sent large quantities of mercury, which accumulates in edible fish, into the bay. With the closure of this source, some three years ago, the concentration of mercury in the area has been going down.

The Kishon stream is still the most polluted of Israel's coastal waterways. Industrial waste flowing through the stream has led to high concentrations of heavy metals in the stream bed and the adjacent sea bed. However here, too, pollution has been on the decline over the years.

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The report, prepared for the Environment and National Infrastructures ministries by the Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research Institute (IOLRI) in Haifa, revealed a number of problems.

The most common of these is the flow of waste containing fertilizers that harm water quality. The amount of fertilizer has declined over the years but is still defined as medium-to-serious compared to streams elsewhere in the world.

Heavy metals of all kinds continue to flow through the stream. According to the report, particularly large amounts of mercury were found in the Sorek, Lachish, Yarkon and Shikma streams. Large concentrations of cadmium have also been found in the Poleg and Sorek streams.

Another problem is the pollution of edible fish. Mercury levels in 225 fish that were checked were within maximum allowable levels in Israel; however, according to more stringent standards in force elsewhere, six fish were found inedible.

IOLRI personnel say that fish living in a polluted environment absorb pollutants like metals or disease-producing bacteria. The institute therefore recommends prohibiting fishing in areas found to be significantly polluted, for example in the area of the Shefdan sewage treatment pools near Rishon Letzion and the outlet pipe to the sea for industries in Ashdod. They have also recommended prohibiting fishing within ports and marinas and near the outlets of the Kishon, Sorek, Alexander and Naaman streams.

A high level of the pollutant tributylin (TBT), used to remove barnacles from ship hulls, has been found in ports and marinas - higher than the recommended limit of the Environment Ministry. "The production and use of this material is not allowed today," according to Alon Zasak from the ministry's sea and beaches department. "Some vessels that used this material will carry traces of it until around 2008. The next time they do the cleaning, they'll have to use something else," he said.

Israel will be implementing additional steps to deal with land-origin pollution in the coming years, as part of its commitment to the Barcelona Convention for the protection of the Mediterranean. For example, Shefdan's treated sewage will no longer be channeled into the sea. According to the Environment Ministry, Israel's treatment of land-origin pollution is relatively good compared to other Mediterranean-basin countries, including some from Western Europe.

The report urges an upgrading of the treatment of the polluted Kishon streambed, which is a source of heavy-metal pollution in the Kishon and Haifa bays.

It also recommends doing bacteria and viral checks on unofficial bathing beaches and monitoring levels of bacteria and viruses on beaches near coastal streams and presenting the results to the public.