KARACHI: The Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum (PFF) on Friday wowed to initiate a campaign against deep-sea fishing trawlers, which have been spotted recently near Karachi Port Trust.

The PFF held a meeting at their head office in Ibrahim Hyderi, which was attended by all central and district office-bearers, including chairman Mohammad Ali Shah, vice chairman Mustafa Mirani, general secretary Saeed Baloch and others.

The meeting participants were informed that the federal government had once again begun to process licences for deep-sea vessels under a policy to fish in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) around 20 miles off the coast of Sindh and Balochistan.

Around a dozen trawlers have been parked around the Karachi Port.

Since the deep-sea fishing policy has not been approved, there should be an inquiry conducted to find out who allowed the deep-sea trawlers to stay in Pakistani waters, the meeting participants demanded.

They questioned when fish stocks are so depleted — around 72 per cent reduction — why was there a deep-sea fishing policy in the making?

PFF chairman Shah said that the expansion of fishing into the deep sea was a grave threat to the livelihood of small fishermen and marine ecology. “Hence, it is a violation of national laws and international commitments. If the provincial assemblies have not approved the policy, then it is also a violation of the Constitution,” he pointed out.

He said that since the ecology of territorial waters and livelihoods in the provinces would be harmed greatly, it was indeed the constitutional privilege of provinces to reject the policy as illegitimate exercise of federal jurisdiction over the EEZ.

“Our objection to this action is two-fold,” he said. “It threatens the livelihoods of small fishermen by depriving them of catch today, and destroying the marine ecology.”

He said they were quite puzzled at the renewal of the process after many years of rejection by previous governments. “It is imperative that this process of licences be terminated immediately without discrimination between domestic and foreign applicants,” he said.

Shah informed that Food and Agricultural Organisation’s latest fish stock assessment conducted with the support of the federal government had already painted a very dismal picture of the country’s marine fish stock. According to the assessment, the fish stock in coastal areas of Pakistan has declined by more than 72pc.

The federal government might have the authority to regulate deep-sea fishing, ie beyond 12 nautical miles from the baseline to the exclusive economic zone stretching over 200 nautical miles across the coastline; however, fishing is a provincial subject and thus the provinces have now the authority to regulate fisheries in sea or in freshwater bodies.

If a deep-sea fishing policy is announced and trawlers are provided licences under it, it would be a violation of Pakistan’s commitment to the UN Convention on Economic, Social & Cultural Rights, as it would deprive fishermen of their right to food.

The PFF leaders said that they would write letters to authorities demanding termination of licences in the first phase and mobilise thousands of fishermen against such policy in the coming phase.

Published in Dawn, August 23rd, 2020