KARACHI: Fishermen of Gadani have urged the fisheries authorities of both Sindh and Balochistan to stop Karachi-based fishermen from trespassing into their province’s waters and exhausting its fish resources by using illegal and harmful nets.

Speaking to Dawn on phone, the fishermen said that it was becoming increasingly difficult for them to make both ends meet these days as dozens of trawlers operated by Karachi-based fishermen repeatedly made incursions into Balochistan’s territorial limits and took away all the catch.

“There is no shrimp left for us. They have taken away even the juveniles. How do we feed our children now?” asked Tawakkul, an elderly resident of Gadani.

The fishermen in the coastal town, he said, were going through hard times as the sea had gone empty and they had been rendered idle.

Hameed Baloch, another fisherman, said: “The problem is decades old but it is becoming serious with each passing year. Karachi-based fishermen operate their big vessels in our waters throughout the year and deprive us of our livelihood. This time fishermen are in so deep a crisis that they are not even able to repay the loan they had taken to buy fuel for their boats.”

According to Baloch, the problem was more acute in Gadani which was like a gateway to the province, although Karachi fishermen were active along the entire coast of Balochistan.

“Ninety per cent population of Gadani (around 25,000 to 30,000) is engaged in fishing for generations. They are poor, illiterate and know no other skill except fishing. Our small boats with six to 10 people can’t compete with their large vessels carrying up to 30 men on a single trip,” said Anwar Baloch, another fisherman.

Often, he alleged, Karachi fishermen carried weapons and threatened them if they tried to stop them fishing. “There have been incidents of violence. They damage our nets and boats and pass derogatory remarks,” he said.

One of the most harmful practices of these fishermen, according to Gadani residents, is the use of nets with small meshes that catch even juvenile fishes.

“They are depleting our resources in connivance with fisheries officials,” alleged Abbas Ali, a boat owner.

Another longstanding problem of fishermen in Gadani is the jetty that fishermen are unable to use because of its flawed design; the jetty stands on the shore instead of being in the waters.

“This made us lose the best time for the catch since we have to wait for hours for the high tide to help propel our boats into the sea,” said a fisherman.

Some fishermen prefer not to use the jetty but then they face the risk of their boats getting damaged by strong winds. Lack of dredging is also adding to fishermen’s woes.

No Sindh fisheries department official was available for comments.

A Balochistan fisheries official said on condition of anonymity that concerns of Gadani fishermen were largely baseless. “Karachi-based fishermen usually operate in the deep sea and we do fine those who violate territorial limits. Having said that, 24-hour sea patrolling is not possible because of financial constraints,” he said.

Shoukat Hussain, the director general of Marine Fisheries Department operating under the federal government in Sindh, said that it was illegal for Karachi-based fishermen to enter Balochistan’s territorial waters for fishing and that the practice needed to be checked by fisheries officials concerned of both provinces.

“Provincial territorial limits start from the baseline to 12 nautical miles and the laws (both in Sindh and Balochistan) give each province exclusive rights to exploit their resources.

“Fishermen in Balochistan are not engaged in harmful practices and have laws in place that prohibit bottom trawling and use of nets with smaller meshes. In Sindh, however, harmful fishing practices are rampant. Not only fishermen are engaged in bottom trawling, they also openly use harmful nets that are banned under a government order,” he said.

According to Mr Hussain, bottom trawling also referred to as dragging is discouraged all over the world as the fishing practice is un-selective and severely damaging to seafloor ecosystems.

“In this method, a heavy net is dragged across the seafloor, taking away everything that comes in its path, from the targeted fish to small organisms and plants living on the bottom of the sea,” he explained.

On the mesh size, he said, the Marine Fisheries Department in collaboration with other stakeholders including the Sindh fisheries department had developed a net to discourage entanglement of unwanted species but its use was still a dream even after more than a year.

“Harmful nets are banned only on paper. The Sindh government is yet to make a serious effort to implement its own orders on harmful fishing practices,” he said.

Published in Dawn, September 22nd, 2014