|
|
|
September 24, 2006
EXCERPTS: Catch of the day
This guidebook about sport fishing in Pakistan aims at creating awareness in people about the sea while helping them discover the unexploited resources of the Arabian Sea
Syed Aziz Agha writes about saltwater fishing in Pakistan
The sea is not as some people might imagine, evenly or over populated with fish. Certain reef species tend to colonise a particular area for their own specific reasons, and also as the seasons come and go, so do migratory fish. Remember that you may not always get lucky and find fish each time that you go fishing. Sea fishing is a time and effort business and saltwater fishing is a science. There is no end to its learning and the more you fish, the more you learn.
It is also true to some extent that saltwater game fish seem hungry most of the time and are usually ready to gobble up the bait offering. With sea fish, it is a case of survival of the fittest. If one fish will let food pass by, the other more alert one will go for it. Also, that one fish is food for another and the ones that survive until adulthood are the fortunate ones. Moment to moment, it is a now or never situation. As such, being at the right place at the right moment and with the right bait will catch you fish. That’s the bottom line.
The offshore angler is indeed a fortunate sportsman. For him, it is not only the fun and excitement of being outdoors into the wilderness of the open water but also experience of the thrill of hunting and subduing powerful game fish. The sea is an untamed jungle and its inhabitants are wild and will forever remain that way. However, despite pollution and effects of both illegal netting and commercial over-exploitation, it is a jungle which still manages to provide great sporting activity and adventure.
Probably the greatest thing about offshore fishing is its easy accessibility. Even if a person is not a proficient angler, he or she can still experience the sport and its thrill on a very high platform. Fishing boats rigged with all the paraphernalia needed for big game are available the world over. All that a person who has never held a rod in his hand has to do is to hire the services of a good fishing guide and skipper. With proper advice from guides and boatmen, the debutant fisherman can return victorious with maybe a big marlin or tuna. The absolute joy for the virgin first-timer and the rush in his adrenalin cannot be summed up in words. Because here, a complete novice could inadvertently find himself fighting a brute of a game fish that is full of fury and rage, a sensation which is heart pounding and adventure that is hard to describe.
Saltwater sport fishing is not just trolling offshore, drifting or fishing at anchor on a boat. It includes all sea fishing activities done primarily for pleasure and sport, be it from the shore or sitting on a boat and going offshore.
Fishing is a binding force. It brings about people of all colours, races, sexes and ages on one platform. It is adventurous and a healthy outdoor activity which bonds people with common interest, together. It gives the angler a chance to come close to mother nature and enjoy the many pleasures and bounties that the wide expanse of water holds. All anglers are in fact one brotherhood. Their methods and prey may differ but a bond does exist between them.
The ingredients for success in saltwater sport fishing is a mixture of experience, preparedness, concentration and dedication. It involves loads of time, effort, money and also some luck.
Sport fishing, also called game fishing, is basically catching fish for sport, pleasure and recreation and is unquestionably the most popular participatory sport in the world.
Saltwater fishing goes back a long way. This outdoor sport is over a hundred years old. It started around the year 1900 and by 1920, it had developed into a major sport activity in countries like the UK, Australia and USA. Today sea angling is a fast growing outdoor sport around the world with participants that no one could possibly count or keep track of. There are an estimated 60 million anglers in USA alone and another 10 million or so, in Australia. Fishing charters on luxurious ocean going yachts or down to the simple country boats are all on offer worldwide, with packages to suit the offshore anglers’ budget.
Then there are big purse fishing tournaments that offer millions of dollars in prize money. From Florida, California, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, Hawaii, Mauritius, Seychelles, Kenya, Bahamas to name a few big game fishing destinations down to the remotest parts of the globe, sport fishing is now, not only deeply rooted as a sport but also provides adventure and recreation that earns their respective countries unimaginable amounts in revenue. It is not surprising then that the economy of some countries depend on angling tourism alone. Today, saltwater sport fishing is an established money generating industry, the world over. In the USA alone, sport fishing is a 100 billion dollar industry with 25 billion dollars estimated for saltwater angling alone.
Pakistan has the potential needed to develop saltwater angling tourism but at present, it sadly lacks in the basic infrastructure needed in its promotion. From three species of the majestic marlins, sailfish, loads of tuna, big tiger and mako sharks along with mackerel, cobia, amberjack, mahi mahi, barracuda, queenfish, trevally, threadfin and barramundi, we have the ideal combination that can lure the angling tourist from around the world to the shores of Karachi.
In Pakistan, amazingly, saltwater sport fishing is quite new and an untapped tourist industry. The warm tropical waters of the Arabian sea is ideal for pelagic game fish which fortunately our Pakistan waters have in abundance. Anglers travel to remote parts of the world and spend loads of dollars looking for tuna and the ultimate game fish — marlin. Fortunately, the 300kms-long coast of Sindh plus 810kms of Mekran, holds one of the largest variety of game fish found anywhere in the world. This untapped goldmine and tourist industry needs immediate attention. Our sea should be treated as a fifth province and its wealth should be exploited to the hilt, both from the sport fishing point of view and otherwise ...
At present Karachi is the ideal location as this water-based recreation starved city has the potential to be developed, both locally and internationally, into a big multi-million dollar tourist oriented angling destination that can give a big boost to the city’s as well as the country’s economy.
In our country sport fishing is mainly confined to Karachi where participants are now in the thousands. In 1984, a group of enthusiasts established Kingfishers, the first saltwater fishing club in the country. Offshore fishing tournaments started in 1990 under the patronage of Agha’s Sport fishing when 15 anglers on five boats ventured offshore to participate in the first Karachi offshore sport fishing tournament.
By 1992, another annual event, the Arabian Sea Sport fishing Tournament, was added to the list and finally the big day came in 1997 when sport fishing began a new era with the launch of the first Pakistan Billfish Tournament. Thus from 1997 onwards, three offshore tournaments are held in Karachi, namely, the Karachi Offshore Sport fishing Tournament, the Arabian Sea Sport fishing Tournament and the Pakistan Billfish Tournament. Over the years, other than women and children, these events have attracted expatriates and foreigners and also diplomats posted here.
With more awareness by the media to subjects like safety at sea and healthy outdoor recreation, this sport is all set to go places. All that the local government has to do is to build half a dozen piers and jetties at various locations and develop the lagoons and creeks around Karachi and provide the basic infrastructure for the promotion of sport fishing and water sports.
It is only then, that the untapped marine potential of Karachi’s shoreline would surface.
The list of billfish found offshore off Karachi’s coast includes three species of marlins, the black, blue and striped. Then there is the broadbill swordfish, spearfish and sailfish followed by a huge variety of sharks that include the tiger and mako. But the most sought after fish is the yellow fin tuna. All these game fish make an ideal combination that can lure any angling tourist from around the globe to the shores of Karachi.Anglers travel to remote parts of the world and spend thousands of dollars looking for billfish and tuna. Offshore fishing charters for these hefty game fish are offered in the USA, Australia, Mauritius, Philippines, Grand Caymen, Caribbean, Thailand, Seychelles and Kenya, to name a few big-game destinations. For over five decades now, there are big fishing tournaments held the world over. Countries like the USA, Australia, Grand Caymen and Mauritius offer prize money that can run into millions of dollars in cash and kind.
The warm tropical waters of the Arabian Sea facing Karachi is ideal for pelagic game fish and, as mentioned earlier, Pakistan fortunately holds one of the largest variety of game fish found anywhere in the world ... Foreign tourists, especially for the anglers who come from Europe, who have fished in our offshore waters are amazed at the tremendous potential that our salt waters hold.
Over the two decades that I have performed as a saltwater fishing guide, anglers from the UK, Germany, Denmark, Norway have all had their share of fun and adventure here. We have had tourists from all over the globe but mostly they have been anglers who had either been to Pakistan on a business assignment or were here on work deputation and temporarily reside in Karachi …
Nowhere in the world does one find a city like Karachi that is surrounded by lush blue waters but has no proper facilities like piers and jetties …
Located 40 kilometres west of Karachi beyond Cape Monze Lighthouse facing Churna Island at the end of Sindh, lies Mubarrak Village which can be an ideal location for building a proper sport fishing infrastructure. If for any reason whatsoever, foreign tourism does not take off, why should local tourism be deprived of this excellent natural resource?
Excerpted with permission from
Guide to Saltwater Sportfishing in Pakistan
By Syed Aziz Agha
Agha’s Sportfishing, 451/C/2, 1st Floor, Allama Iqbal Road,
P.E.C.H. Society, Karachi-75400
Tel: 021-4554835 and 4386892.
Email: aghasportfishing@yahoo.com; info@aghasportfishing.com
Website: www.aghasportfishing.com
200pp. Price not listed
Syed Aziz Agha is the pioneer of saltwater sport fishing in Pakistan. He founded the first saltwater fishing club, Kingfishers, in 1984 and started record keeping of game fish. He was appointed the International Game Fish Association representative for Pakistan in 1999. Having taken part in many international sport fishing championships, he holds many angling records|
|
|
|
