The National Assembly's Public Accounts Committee (PAC) was informed Wednesday that around 472 million gallons of sewerage were being released into the sea on a daily basis.

The committee had met in Islamabad under the chairmanship of Opposition Leader Khursheed Shah.

Breaking down the number, the federal Ministry of Ports and Shipping secretary, Khalid Pervez, said around 275m gallons of sewerage is released daily from Karachi Port, whereas another 136m gallons is dumped by the Defence Housing Authority.

Pervez told the committee that waste released from various tributaries, such as Korangi Industrial Area, Nahr-e-Khayyam, Keenjhar Lake, Malir River and others in Karachi, has become a major source of threat to marine life.

Learning about level of pollution in the sea, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf's Shafqat Mehmood said he never wants to eat fish again.

Read more: Catch-22: Karachi’s marine pollution shows catastrophic results

During the meeting, Pervez also drew attention to the ever-increasing number of fishing boats entering the sea, adding that the United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organisation has recommended that Pakistan reduce its fishing fleet by at least 50 per cent.

"At least 100 more boats enter the sea for fishing purposes every year," he revealed.

Pervez also stated that the use of newly-hatched fish in poultry feed is resulting in a sharp decline in fish populations.

Upon hearing this, the PAC submitted an application recommending a ban on catching small fish and using them in poultry feed.

Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party's Chief Mehmood Khan Achakzai also raised concern about the at least 6,000 deep sea fishing licences being issued to foreigners, to which Pervez said the licences were issued by the Sindh government and not the federal.

He said that the ministry wants smaller trawlers to also have the opportunity and official permission for deep-sea fishing.

The ports and shipping secretary further said that there is space for only 500 trawlers in the Karachi harbour. "But they [the Sindh government] have issued some 6,000 licences," Pervez claimed.

Rubbishing Pervez's claim, Sindh Minister for Fisheries Mohammad Ali Malkani said the provincial government has not issued any new licences in the last seven or eight years.

"We're trying to cut down the licences we have already issued over the years," Malkani added.

The PAC formed a three-member committee to regulate the fisheries business in Pakistan while also recommending that factories in Karachi that do not have a sewerage treatment plant be shut down.