KARACHI: The federal government was criticised on the concluding day of a workshop for persistently refusing to hand over the Korangi Fish Harbour to the Sindh government in violation of the 18th constitutional amendment.

The federal government took the plea that deep-sea fishing, which was carried out in the exclusive economic zone, was a federal subject while the harbour built for deep-sea fishing vessels at a cost of Rs1 billion had not been functional for decades, speakers at the workshop pointed out.

They added that despite earning huge sums of foreign exchange through seafood exports, the federal government had not launched any development scheme for the welfare of fishermen.

The workshop, which concluded at a hotel on Thursday, was organised by the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum with the objective to finalise the draft of the fisheries policy being prepared with inputs from different stakeholders including marine experts, fishing community members and government officials.

“Under the 18th constitutional amendment, it’s the provincial government which has rights over the Korangi Fish Harbour but the federal government has been avoiding to hand it over to Sindh,” said Fisheries and Livestock Minister Jam Khan Shoro.

He also spoke about bringing stricter legislation to ensure non-use of harmful nets and said that fishermen using these nets as well as buyers of their catch would be fined and arrested under such laws. He acknowledged that the implementation of fisheries laws had been weak in the province but argued that it was because of lack of collaboration between different departments.

About the policy draft, he said there was a need to make it more comprehensive. However, he didn’t announce formation of any committee for its improvement.

Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum chairman Mohammad Ali Shah later speaking to the media held the PPP government responsible for not making the legislative changes which were required to transfer the Korangi Fish Harbour to Sindh during its previous tenure when the 18th amendment had been introduced.

“The Sindh government is now making a hue and cry, but the same party [when it was leading the federal coalition government] handed it over to the Federal Ministry of Ports and Shipping. We had raised objection at this development at that time also, but of no use,” he said.

Regretted mute official response to the fast depletion of marine resources, Mr Shah cited a scientific study according to which fish resources would be wiped out by 2048 if the current rate of fish exploitation continued. He urged the government to make eco-friendly policies based on social justice.

The draft on the sustainable fisheries policy also attracted criticism and the harshest came from former director-general of the marine fisheries department, currently working as a technical adviser on marine resources at the World Wide Fund for Nature-Pakistan, Mohammad Moazzam Khan.

He said the document ignored many important subjects and areas related to fisheries. “The draft narrowly focuses on small-scale fisheries and even that subject has not been taken up in its whole as the document only deals with the human rights’ issues in that particular sector. There is no mention of large-scale fishing operations and allied facilities that included those for processing and manufacturing of fish meal, issues of by-catch and quality control and aquaculture, a major contributor to the fisheries sector,” he explained.

Referring to Damb, a coastal town in Balochistan, where fishermen had voluntarily quit the use of harmful nets, Mr Khan said the most critical issue of catching juvenile fish in abundance at the Karachi fish harbour didn’t require government intervention and could be addressed by fishermen themselves.

He was of the opinion that Pakistan would lose fish stocks much earlier than other countries on account of huge increase in the number of fishing vessels and rampant use of harmful nets.

Director of the National Centre for Maritime Policy Research retired vice admiral Asaf Humayun said that the potential of the fisheries sector was spoiled by criminal elements and there was a dire need for strict enforcement of laws.

He urged officials of the Sindh and Balochistan fisheries departments to have coordination to have a mutual use of resources and resolve conflicts over catch.

Additional secretary for livestock and fisheries Ghulam Mujtaba Wadhar, director general of fisheries Ghulam Mohammad Mehar, chairman of the Fishermen Cooperative Society Dr Nisar Morai and PML-Nawaz lawmaker Haji Shafi Mohammad Jamote also spoke.