KARACHI, Nov 8: The Sindh government has lifted a recent ban on fishing activities on the condition that boat owners modify at least 200 fishing launches every month as per the specifications of the European Union.

“We will start fishing trips from Friday. We are about to deliver a letter issued by the Sindh chief secretary asking the authorities concerned, including the maritime security agency, customs and Pakistan navy, to issue fishing permits to boats which are planning a fishing voyage from Friday,” former president of the Sindh Fishing Trawlers Owners’ Association, Haji Mir Khan, said here on Thursday.

An official of the fisheries department said that the decision had been taken at a meeting presided over by the Adviser to the Chief Minister on Fisheries, Fakir Jaddam Mangrio.

The secretary fisheries, heads of the marine fisheries department, the Karachi Fish Harbour Authority (KFHA), other senior officials and all stakeholders, including representatives of boat owners, mole holders and the fishermen community, were also present at the meeting.

Fishing activities came to a standstill last week when the KFHA cancelled the fishing permits of all the boats plying from Karachi Fish Harbour as boat owners had failed to modify their launches by the extended deadline of October 31, 2007. Earlier, a similar restriction was imposed in 2006 when the EU had imposed a ban on seafood exports from Pakistan.

The official said that boat owners were given sufficient time, but till Oct 31, not a single modified boat was produced before the committee constituted by the KFHA for inspection.

He said that the government had released Rs15 million on Thursday, out of the total allocated amount of Rs290 million for the upgrading of the fisheries sector.

This amount will be given to boat owners as 50 per cent share of the modification cost. The rest of the amount will be borne by the boat owners.

According to estimates, the complete modification, which includes the complete lining of a boat as well as the fish hold, will require Rs500,000, while the modification of the fish hold will need Rs60,000 to Rs70,000.—APP