KARACHI, June 7: The Fishermen Cooperative Society is expected to approach the federal government for imposition of ban on registration of new fishing boats in Karachi and to review the deep-sea policy to arrest the sharp decline of fish stock from territorial waters.

“Although we have not taken any final decision, but the matter is under consultation of the FCS Board of Directors to approach the government for limiting the number of increasing boats for a couple of years,” the vice-chairman of the FCS, Haji Shafi Muhammad Jamot, said here on Friday.

He said that around 15,000 boats have been registered with the Karachi Fish Harbour Authority, out of which around 7,000 to 8,000 boats and trawlers are operational in Karachi, while the same number is registered with the Balochistan Fisheries Department.

Due to the increasing number of boats, fish catch is on a sharp decline in the territorial waters of the country, he said, adding that by reducing the number of boats, a large quantity of fish species would be preserved for posterity.

He also said that due to lack of knowledge about fishing, people were engaged in boat-building which was greatly deteriorating the situation and depleting the stock of seafood. A large number of boats, with the connivance of the concerned authorities, are operational in open seas sans registration, he stated.

He viewed that the fish catch was on a continuous decline and has come down to only 30 per cent. In the past, fishermen would bring catch around 1,500kgs in each trip. Now the quantity has dropped to only 200kgs.

He said that there was no appropriate government policy on fishing, including registration which needs to be promulgated in order to save precious natural resources.—PPI