Experts say the loss so far is equivalent to four years of Kuwait's annual consumption of fish - a main staple in the oil-rich state which boasts a heritage as a seafaring nation.

The extent of the disaster has prompted a call for a special session of parliament which is on summer recess. Kuwait's ruler, Emir Sheikh Jaber al-Ahmad al-Sabah, has met officials investigating the cause.

"We have been on land for more than a month...I don't have any money and have eight children to support back home," Egyptian fisherman Massoud Omar told Reuters.

Some 4,000 fishermen - mainly from Egypt, Bangladesh and India - work in Kuwait where 1.4 million of the 2.2 million population are foreigners.

"I can't eat or drink and nobody is helping me except God," said 34-year-old Omar whose home in Kuwait is a small fishing boat.

Earlier this month, the government, under public pressure, banned fishing. It later deployed the military to help clean up millions of dead fish from the shoreline as the stench from their rotting bodies spread.

FISHERMEN DEMAND A SOLUTION

Hundreds of dhows - traditional wooden vessels used in the Gulf - and small fishing boats are anchored near the fish market in Kuwait City in the hope that the ban will be lifted soon.

"But who wants to eat Kuwaiti fish. Not even if they export it, will they find customers," said a Kuwaiti professional, adding that Kuwaitis were bringing in fish from Saudi Arabia.

No dead fish have been detected on the Arab side of the Gulf, a strong indication, experts say, that the cause is man-made and originates in Kuwait.

Mustafa Ismail, who supports a large family back in Egypt, said fellow fishermen are "waiting for the government to give us the green light to resume fishing. It is a great loss, we used to make about 250-300 Kuwaiti dinars ($800-950) a day...".

"We need someone to help us, we are only eating once a day. I want to know if I can go back to work, if not I want to return home...that is if I can afford the ticket...," said Egyptian Sayyed Bader.

The government has sent samples of dead fish abroad for analysis and launched several investigations into the cause. Official explanations have so far been met with public ridicule.

Asked when to expect a final result, Deputy Prime Minister Mohammad Sharar told Reuters on Tuesday: "Results are with scientists and they are studying the phenomenon...it is difficult to know when they will present their final reports".

2,300 TONNES OF FISH KILLED BY BACTERIA

Officials said streptococcus bacteria off Kuwait City was behind the disaster but its origin had yet to be identified.

Some experts and newspapers in Kuwait have blamed alleged pumping of raw sewage into the Gulf. Others said waste from the oil industry was the cause, while one scientist suggested extreme summer heat in August killed the fish.

"We have lost around 2,300 tonnes of fish until now...some fish are still dying but not in as big quantities as before," Sheikh Fahd al-Salem al-Ali Al-Sabah, chairman and director general of Kuwait's Public Authority for Agriculture Affairs and Fish Resources, told Reuters.

KUWAIT LOSES FOUR YEARS OF FISH, SHRIMPING ON HOLD

"Kuwait's fish consumption is around 600-650 tonnes a year, and with this crisis we have already lost more than four years of consumption," said Sheikh Fahd al-Salem.

Prior to the oil boom in the 1970s, pearl diving and fishing were main sources of income for Kuwaitis who now enjoy one of the world's highest standards of living.

Kuwait's once-thriving shrimp season, which usually starts in September, has been put on hold.