ISLAMABAD: Fearing an increase in illegal fishing, the fisheries department has heightened vigilance at Rawal Lake, particularly with regard to organised netters who use explosives and poison to enhance their catch.

At the same time, individual anglers are also keeping fisheries staff busy in a game of hide-and-seek, as they sneak onto the lakeshore out of a fondness for fishing.

With the demand for fish on the rise in November, the activities of organised netters has increased as well.

With the demand for fish on the rise in November, the activities of organised netters has risen

Before there was a commercial fishing contract in place at Rawal Lake, a number of boaters began fishing in the lake without catching the attention of the authorities.

A two-year contract was awarded after almost 14 years for Rs44 million in January 2017, and the contractor has already introduced a million fish seeds to replenish the aquatic life in the lake.

“There was a serious objection by the contractor over fishing by anybody else in the lake, as a result the ICT has increased vigilance against all kinds of fishing,” an Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration official said.

The official added that those involved in fishing “seemed to be upset” and were using “strong arm tactics to pressure the department”.

“These people not only use explosive devices, but also poison the water,” the official said.

Most of these boaters operate late at night from the shore touching the Lakhwal, Banigala, Malpur and Korang Nullah areas. Many of them operate recreational boat rides at Lake View Park as well. Officials believe that the several cases of fish poisoning in two years have occurred solely because those who were netting in the lake wanted to create disturbances for the contractor.

The ICT official added: “The serious problem is that monitoring isolated corners of the lake is difficult, whereas no one can challenge the movement of boat operators belonging to Lake View Park.”

“But some have been caught with nets and fish in boats, and four FIRs have been lodged. Two boats and 120 confiscated nets have been torched in one year to discourage illegal catching.”

Individual anglers who fished in the lake for decades for recreation, meanwhile, are upset that they have been stopped from doing so by the authorities since last year. Prior to the award of the contract, the department would issue one-day permits to fish in the lake.

Under pressure from the contractor to stop anglers, they now impose fines of Rs500 to Rs2,000 under the Pakistan Fisheries Ordinance. Some 250 such fines have been imposed between January 2017 and October 2018.

Unlike the netters and boaters, individual anglers do not resist or threaten the authorities, but tracing them remains a challenge. The department has just one inspector and two to three guards in the field during each shift in the morning, evening and at night.

Unregulated fishing is also illegal in streams and ponds around the capital, but the understaffed department is unable to enforce its writ in these areas.

“The streams inside the city have become so polluted that there is hardly any life in them, while fishing is restricted in other areas for environmental reasons. But it is getting difficult due to the growing population and the limited resources of the fisheries department,” the official said.

Published in Dawn, November 12th, 2018