KARACHI, March 3: Small fishermen have described over fishing as one of the main causes of destruction of coastal resources and the livelihood of small fishermen along the Sindh coast.

The fishermen admit there has been a decrease in the fish-catch because of over fishing by deep-sea trawlers and the use of prohibited nets by trawlers such as bola, gujja and katra nets despite a ban by the provincial government imposed on such type of nets.

This ban is openly flouted by the powerful mafia which owns many fishing boats.

Marine fisheries experts have repeatedly warned that the practice of fishing round-the-clock would cause this situation, and a decline in fish-catch has been observed in the last few years, said Pakistan Mahigir Tehrik chief Zubeda Birwani.

The unchecked operation of deep-sea trawlers and use of illegal nets are some of the reasons for the decrease.

She pointed out that in the past the fishing community followed indigenous local practices. According to these practices, fishing was done according to the sea tides and during certain fishing seasons.

The present modern fishing practices has badly disturbed the system as the traditional ethics have been disregarded. The centuries-old fishing methods prohibited hunting during hatching season for the fish, she added.

The PMT chief also criticised the government’s deep-sea fishing policy, saying that it had further aggravated the situation. Describing the deep-sea trawlers as factory-ships, she said: “they are virtually destroying our sea resources by sweeping all fish of every size.

Being fully mechanised and computerised, these trawlers indulge in non-stop fishing and in this process catch millions of tons fish with their lengthy trawl nets.

She said initially the military government had halted deep-sea trawlers’ operations due to pressure from local fishermen, but the licences were restored and deep-sea fishing allowed.

The small fishermen also alleged that destructive fishing nets like bola, gujja and katra used by some of their unscrupulous colleagues were causing destruction of fish species even in the creeks.

They said due to over fishing their catch had fallen alarmingly low and this situation is threatening their livelihood.

The PMT leader said, ‘this situation warrants an early solution not only by the government but also by civil society.