KARACHI, Aug 9: The fishermen’s community observed a province-wide strike on Thursday in response to a call given by the Fishermen Action Committee to lodge their protest against the owners of seafood processing units who force fishermen to sell their catch, especially the prized shrimp, at throwaway prices.

The strike brought fishing activity at Karachi Fish Harbour, Keamari, Ibrahim Haideri, Rehri Goth, Ketti Bandar and other coastal towns of the city to a grinding halt. It also proved effective in Thatta, Badin and all coastal towns and villages in the interior of Sindh.

Fishermen kept their boats anchored and hoisted black flags on their boats and atop their houses. They also held protest meetings, took out rallies and lit bonfires in different towns and villages to vent their anger against the seafood traders and the government.

At the Karachi Fish Harbour, several hundred fishermen held a noisy protest demanding an end to the economic exploitation of their community. They marched through the streets of the harbour raising slogans and demanding action against the seafood traders.

In Ibrahim Haideri, Rehri Goth and Chashma village, scores of youth from the community took to the streets early in the morning and blocked several roads by putting up barricades and lighting bonfires.

A protest rally was also held later. Speaking at the rally, leaders of the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum (PFF) warned the government of blockading the Keamari and KPT channels for fishing activity if steps were not taken immediately to protect the fishermen community’s interests.

Addressing the major rally at the Karachi Fish Harbour, chairman of the PFF Mohammad Ali Shah slammed the owners of seafood processing factories for not buying fish and shrimp catch to create an impression that there was a glut of the commodities. He said the motive behind such tricks was to force the fishermen to dispose of their catch at throwaway prices.

Mr Shah also condemned the government’s indifferent attitude, saying that despite being fully aware of the situation and in spite of the fact that the fishermen community had constantly been asking it for intervention over the past several years, it had adopted silence over the plight of the poor fishermen.

He pointed out that the factory owners had never offered a reasonable price for shrimp catch in the last four years owing to which the fishermen community had remained hard pressed. “As if it was not enough, they have resorted to refusing procurement of the prized commodity now when the two-month seasonal halt to fishing activity is over and the fishermen anticipate some respite,” he noted. He observed that their trick had worked as fishermen had to dispose of shrimp at whatever prices being offered only to avoid starvation.

The PFF chairman also criticised the government for failing to find a way out vis-à-vis the crisis created by the European Union’s ban on seafood imports from Pakistan. Three months had passed but the government had yet to come out with a strategy to save the country’s fisheries sector from complete destruction, he regretted, adding that the fishermen community was the worst-affected stakeholder.