KARACHI: Pakistan needs to immediately ratify and implement the Port State Measures Agreement (PSMA) to effectively address the issues of illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, causing huge losses to the national exchequer annually.

This suggestion was made during a workshop held on Wednesday at a local hotel.

Titled ‘Combating illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing in Pakistan’, the event was organised by the World Wide Fund for Nature-Pakistan (WWF-P) and the Sindh fisheries department.

Describing IUU fishing as a serious threat to marine resources, speakers said these practices were generally considered as a marine crime and most countries had been able to put in place vigilant mechanisms to curb this menace that not only deprived states of important foreign exchange, but also brought bad name to their reputation.

Pakistan, they pointed out, also needed to develop an effective mechanism.

“Poaching, marine pollution, and non-registration of fishing boats are some important challenges that we face,” stated Mirza Zeeshan Baig, deputy director of operations, Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA), adding that a process was under way to install a vessel monitoring system on all boats larger than 15 metres as per Deep Sea Fisheries Policy 2018.

Indian fishing boats operating in Pakistani waters, he said, caused huge economic losses to the country. The maritime agency had confiscated 1,465 Indian fishing boats with 8,125 fishermen since 1987.

“It is because of strict surveillance and monitoring that Rs8bn losses have been reduced to Rs1bn annually,” he told the audience.

He suggested that Pakistan should opt for the international agreement which specifically targeted IUU fishing by preventing vessels from using ports and landing their catches.

Rear Admiral Zaka-ur-Rehman, PMSA director general, called upon the need for collaboration among all departments to curb IUU fishing. Muhammad Moazzam Khan representing WWF-P said that IUU fishing jeopardised ecosystems, food security, and livelihoods around the world.

“It threatens fish breeding grounds, local livelihoods and is a major hindrance to the recovery of fish populations. IUU fishing worldwide accounts for about $10bn to $23bn annually,” he said, emphasising the need for domestic fisheries management.

Recommendations included setting up of an independent committee led by provinces to monitor, assess and manage IUU fishing and developing a national action plan on the subject.

Khawar Pervez Awan representing the fisheries department and Mohammad Wasim, director general of the marine fisheries department, also spoke.

Published in Dawn, May 10th, 2018