KARACHI, Feb 25: Some 500 Indian fishing boats illegally catch seafood, worth Rs250 million, every month, in Pakistani territorial waters, the Maritime Security Agency’s (MSA) Operation Commander, Baber, and Lt Commander, M Asim Aziz, Deputy Director Coordination, MSA, told the PPI on Tuesday.
Commander Baber said that the MSA makes all efforts to keep Indian boats away from Pakistani waters, but due to shortage of patrolling squads it becomes more difficult.
In addition, a number of MSA officials are deployed in Muscat and in Iranian coastal limits to check Pakistani fishermen from violating the territorial limits, he said.
He said the MSA recently installed the Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) on its air fleet, in order to keep eye on Indian boats entering Pakistani waters illegally.
The MSA aircraft Defender - equipped with VMS - located Indian boats and informed agency’s ships, who kept them away from Pakistani waters, he said.
“The MSA aircraft reported that daily some 500 Indian boats caught seafood from Pakistani waters. Its recent report says it found Indian boats fishing on radar location at 66 degree and 20 minutes east and 23 degree and 58 minutes north”, he said.
According to him the Indian boats were engaged in illegally fishing around 80 nautical miles, inside Pakistani waters.
The VMS, which is also called Global Positioning Satellite Based Tracking System, enables MSA aircraft and boats to keep check on deeps-sea trawlers violating the fishing limits.
“A normal fishing boat remains 7 to 10 days in waters and catches tons of seafood in good season, worth Rs0.5 million before returning”, he said.
He said that Pakistani boats did not violate Indian territorial limits.
A large number of Indian fishermen are detained in Pakistani jails for violating water limits. About 92 Pakistani fishermen were arrested by Indian authorities on same charges.
The operation commander said that the MSA arrested 145 Indian fishermen on charges of illegal fishing and seized 25 boats after May 8, 2002.—PPI
