KARACHI, July 12: Small fishermen have demanded a complete ban on operation of foreign deep-sea trawlers in Pakistan’s sea waters. A senior director of the Fishermen Cooperative Society representing Hawkesbay and Shamspir fishermen, Haji Mohammad Yunus, said the government imposed seasonal ban on catch of shrimps in the coast of Sindh, but no such ban was imposed on foreign deep-sea trawlers.

He said the huge trawlers described as factory ships used to sweep away the entire sea resources in the breeding season sparing nothing for small fishermen.

He claimed that the deep-sea trawlers had not only harmed the country by destroying its valuable sea resources, but also deprived the small fishermen from their livelihood.

Muhammad Yunus urged the federal government to impose a complete ban on the fishing of deep-sea trawlers and cancel their licenses in the national interest so as to save the coastal economy from being collapsed.

Under the new deep-sea fishing policy, the marine area has been divided into three zones (i.e. from zero to 12 nautical miles, from 12 to 35 nautical miles, and from 35 to 200 nautical miles). The fishing rights in Zone-I have been reserved for traditional small scale fishermen of Sindh and Balochistan who can operate in this area, while Zone-II is reserved for operation of medium-sized vessels.

The small fishermen have always expressed reservations over the deep-sea policy, saying that deep-sea trawlers with highly sophisticated nets have been harming economy of local fishermen by transgressing their zone.

Urging a total ban on the operation of deep-sea trawlers between 12 and 35 nautical miles from the shore, the small fishermen called a thorough probe into the affairs of the deep-sea trawlers.

It is pertinent to mention that the military government had initially imposed a ban on deep-sea fishing, but later it was lifted and zoning fishing system based on exclusively reserved areas for big trawlers and small boat owners was introduced.