KARACHI, March 20: Representatives of fishermen communities urged the government to resolve the controversy over the breeding season of fish species as some experts have different views on June-July which has been currently in practice since the ‘80s under a Sindh government order.

Under this Sindh Fisheries Ordinance 1980, every year a ban is imposed on the catch of fish and shrimps at Sindh coast in the month of June-July. The ban is mandatory for fishermen and under the law any one violating the provisions of this ordinance is liable to be prosecuted.

According to some fisheries experts, the ban is necessary to ensure normal growth of fish and shrimps in the creeks and safety of the aquaculture. But the small fishermen argued that a number of fish species have now become extinct due to over-fishing by mechanised deep-sea trawlers who even operate in the months of June and July.

However, some experts are of the view that the ban on fishing during June and July is unwarranted because from May to August, the flow of water currents is from Indian waters towards the Pakistani coasts. This change in flow of currents makes shrimps available in great abundance in the coastal waters of Sindh.

They argued that if trawling was not permitted in these months, by mid-August all these shrimps would flow back to Indian waters.

The fact that foreign trawlers do trawl during June and July and catch fish and shrimps in great number show that there is an abundance of shrimps and fish in these two months.

The chairperson of the Pakistan Mahigir Tehrik, Ms Zubeda Birwani, said she was not against the imposition of ban on fishing in breeding season in principle but we should first decide the exact breeding season as presently opinions were different on the issue.

She called for establishing a committee of experts and representatives of fishermen to ascertain their views on the issue otherwise she argued that there was no justification to impose the ban.