KARACHI, Nov 15: Pakistan Fisheries Association has again drawn the government attention towards depletion of tuna fish stocks at an alarming rate in the Pakistan territorial sea zone because of, what it alleges, giving permission to the 26 large Taiwanese industrial fishing ships for tuna long-lining.

“The tuna catch reported in October is less than 3 per cent of what was caught in April 2005,” Ghulam Asghar Gopang, a local fish industry leader, said on Wednesday. Mainly because of this depletion of tuna stocks in last 18 months, he said, all the 26 Taiwanese fishing ships--that were given permission--have left the Pakistani waters. Of these 16 ships departed in September and remaining 10 left after Eid.

Local fish industry leaders complain that deploying giant industrial fishing trawlers and--that, too, in more than two dozen numbers--amounts to over-fish, which brings more harm to the fish growth—- of tuna and other varieties—-and hurts the local industry.

Mainly because of its taste and food value due to protein and vitamin richness, tuna is one of the most demanded delicacies in many countries of the world and hence it has remained a target of international poachers.

Pakistan is no exception where giant industrial trawlers mainly from Taiwan, have been deployed to lift a big haul that includes the varieties, which are not edible. Not only the mature tunas are netted but juvenile are also being caught.

The unwanted dead fish in a huge quantity is thrown back in the sea, which causes environment problem, he added.

According to local fishing industry sources the growing demand for tuna has generated a highly profitable business activity in Japan, which has led to “tuna ranches” in the Mediterranean. Population of the blue fin tuna, a premium variety, had depleted by 80 per cent.

The domestic fishing industry has been agitating for long against the federal food, agricultural, and livestock ministry (Minfal) for giving permission to the Taiwanese trawlers for tuna fishing. Their plea is that the government should provide help to the local fishermen for up-grading their fish catch potential for export of tuna.

The Minfal has been issuing licences to the Taiwanese industrial fish trawlers and has been defending its policy on the plea that it attracts direct foreign investment.

There was a talk of developing a national Tuna Corridor for maximum exploitation of tuna resources in Pakistani waters. But the provincial governments of Sindh and Balochistan expressed their strong reservations on granting tuna catch permission to the giant industrial fishing trawlers in the last meeting of the provincial coordination committee.

On a complaint from Balochistan Provincial Coordination Minister Sherjan Baloch a high-powered committee, comprising chief secretaries of Sindh and Balochistan and the federal food and agricultural secretary was formed.

“In last 18 months, the Minfal changed its tuna policy six times to finally accommodate permission to the 26 Taiwanese industrial trawlers,” Mr Gopang complained.