KARACHI, March 31: A study on coastal economy, a major source of livelihood for millions of fishermen, shows that it is heading toward a collapse due to overfishing.
Expressing their views, officials and stakeholders in fisheries sector said they were worried over the consequences of overfishing and acknowledged that coastal region resources were diminishing day by day.
Sources pointed out that the fish catch by local fishermen had already dwindled to an alarming level. Even, one of the official confirmed, a sharp decline in the catch of certain deep-sea species had been noted.
To prevent the coastal economy from imminent collapse, sources believed, urgent and appropriate measures to preserve the seafood stock were inevitable.
“Such an alarming situation warrants an early action not only by the government, but the society as well because livelihood of millions of people in this sector is at stake. Collapse of coastal economy may unleash a series of socio-economic problems mainly upon the fishermen community.” said an official of the Fishermen Cooperative Society.
He suggested that the government should reconsider its deep-sea fishing policy. “The government’s urge to exploit maximum possible coastal resources in order to earn plenty of foreign exchange through exports is proving to be disasterous,” he observed.
He said the issue was discussed on many occasions at different forums and, as the cause of the depletion of marine life and other resources had become quite clear, the policy makers must realize that the time to act had come. The government should take into consideration the threats posed to the fishermen community’s livelihood, he said and added, the situation had been created by the decision taken by the policy makers.
Fisheries sources warned that the authorities were running short of time. Once disaster knocked the doors of fishermen community, it would almost be impossible to save millions of people from starving, they said and added that it was a question of the survival of all the stakeholders.
The multinational firms, presently the main beneficiaries of the government’s deep-sea fishing policy, should also realize that their gainful activities are short-lived, the sources cautioned.
They pointed out that overfishing was equally harmful to every stakeholder in this sector and the responsibility rested with the government to create awareness in the fishermen community about the consequences.
They urged the authorities to come out with concrete legal and administrative measures to curb overfishing as well as all possible alternatives to prevent any economic fallout on the fishermen.
At the same, they said, the issues of deep-sea fishing by trawlers, significant drop in the flow of fresh water from Indus, fishermen community’s right on the coastal resources, strict implementation of relevant laws, and certain other subjects needed to be resolved on emergency basis in the greater national interest. They proposed that NGOs and other organizations could play a vital role in creating public awareness through a comprehensive and effective advocacy campaign which may include conferences, workshops, group discussions, policy papers, etc.
The sources called for preparation of a plan for the rejuvenation of depleted fisheries resources. They suggested that a complete and strict ban should be imposed on soft nets, being used frequently in creeks and regarded as the major cause of the depletion of many fish species.
