KARACHI: Sustainable exploitation of fisheries urged
By Our Staff Reporter
KARACHI, Dec 3: A sustainable fisheries management policy is needed to ensure the safety of seafood stock and livelihood of fishermen in the country, a study says.
Experts stress the need for implementing the existing laws and involving the public representatives in decision-making and management initiatives.
In this regard, they suggest that partnerships between the existing institutions and fishermen should be promoted.
Focus, they maintain, should be laid on public education and outreach programmes, so as to disseminate information on sustainable fisheries, habitat restoration, and other key issues.
Though during the last few years, particularly after the induction of the Naval staff, significant progress has been witnessed in the working of harbour and its marketing system.
The financial and administrative discipline has been maintained and leakages in marketing system has been greatly curbed.
The overall improvement in the hygienic conditions in Karachi Fish Harbour has created a favourable response for the demand of Pakistani seafood in the European and Middle Eastern countries.
The Karachi Fish Harbour is now considered to be one of the best harbours. Foreign dignitaries now frequently visit the harbour and show keen interest in the development activity being taken place.
More importantly, the working of Fishermen Cooperative Society has been systematized on modern lines and it is no longer a traditional body now. Instead, it has now adopted a role of development agency by taking keen interest in the social uplift of fishermen community, particularly in health and education sector.
But the experts argue that Pakistan has a vast coastline of 1,050 kilometres which is divided into two major areas: The Sindh coast, about 350km in length, extends from Karachi to the Indian border and the Balochistan coast extends from West of Karachi to the Iranian border and possesses a much narrower continental shelf (15 to 50km) with a number of bays along its length.
Therefore, it needs a national fisheries policy for the preservation and management of our sea resources, because there is a widespread concern about the existing situation.
There were reports about over-harvesting of fisheries resources, a detrimental factor, which may grossly affect the balance of fragile ecosystem, that are prone to environmental degradation and human influences.
Experts also suggest that immediate measures should be taken to stop the unchecked increase in the fishing fleet and trawling should be banned in the Indus estuarine system.
The estuary is considered to be an important breeding and nursery ground for a number of fish and shellfish. Similarly, the use of small meshed gillnets should also be banned.
At the same time, shrimp and fin-fish aqua-culture should be introduced in the area so that the pressure on the natural stocks is reduced.
They also suggest that studies on the stocks of fish and shellfish, especially small pelagic, should be undertaken to ensure that their stocks are not over-exploited.
Similarly, studies of the larvae and juveniles occurring in the area should be undertaken to ascertain their main breeding areas.
At present, on the government level it is being widely propagated that the coastal resources of Sindh are still untapped and need more mechanisation and greater fleets for being properly tapped.
But the indigenous fishermen report a major decrease in the fish species and claim that a number of species have now become extinct.
