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KARACHI: The end of the monsoon is a signal for recreational anglers here to venture out into the open sea in search for adventure and game fish.
The months of September and October bring with them the offshore fishing season. It is also time for the saltwater fishing tournament though the sport itself has seen better days.
“The fishing season kicked off a little later than usual this time around due to the late monsoon this year,” says Syed Aziz Agha, said to be the pioneer of saltwater sport fishing in Pakistan.
“It is never advisable to take boats out to sea in the monsoon months not only because they are the breeding season for fish and shrimps but also due to the fact that the waters are very rough and turbulent during that time. Rather than enjoying the sport you’ll be tossing, turning, rolling and pitching besides harming marine life,” he adds.
“If you don’t let the fish and shrimps breed, you cause harm to the food chain,” says Mr Agha, an International Game Fishing Association (IGFA) representative and the chairman of Marine Peace Society.
“Sustaining the food chain is a big problem. First of all, there are far too many trawler boats going out than there is space in our harbour. Then there is only 10 per cent fish in the catch brought back by them, while most of the catch is trash, fish meal and poultry feed. They have the most undesirable means of acquiring it such as katra, bolla and gujja,” he says.
“Katra are tightly woven mosquito-size wire nets that cannot be escaped by any type of marine organism while bolla are trap nets placed on the creek mouths and gujja is a net used for trawling. All these methods of trapping fish used by fishermen for 30 years now have contributed towards destruction of marine life in Sindh waters. The food chain survives on one another.
The smaller fish feed on plankton and sea weeds and the bigger fish feed on the smaller fish. Take the example of the Bhetki fish, a prize fish of Sindh and a real delicacy. The trapping and catching methods have resulted in totally destroying its habitat,” he explains.
“So catches have depleted due to the lack of food for marine life. The sea is our playground. If you destroy the pitch in a cricket match, well, how can you play? If the playground is not saved, the sport will also die,” says the man who introduced sport fishing in this part of the world by founding the King Fisher Club in 1984.
While regular sport fishing tourneys were started here in 1990, it was in 1997 that he introduced the bill fish tourney, exclusively for catching the marlin and tuna fish in which 222 anglers, including 13 women, participated on 54 boats.
“Catching a marlin is considered an ultimate in game fishing. It is a million-dollar sport abroad. Karachi is by nature blessed with three species of marlin — black, blue and striped. Not many big fishing destinations of the world can boast having all three so you can imagine the tourism potential of our waters,” he says.
“The government has no infrastructure regarding the promotion of such kind of tourism. Today you spend Rs100,000 on fuel by just getting to the drop of the continental shelf from Marina Club. Had someone thought of making piers at destinations such as Mubarak and Manjhar villages and Gadani, the fuel expense would have cut down immensely,” the angler adds.
Lala Amin, another veteran angler, agrees. He says: “I used to own a nice double-engine boat, which I had to sell later on as I just couldn’t afford to take it out on my own anymore.”
“Up until 1992, it cost me Rs6,000 to fill up my boat’s tank but now filling up means paying around Rs60,000. Then it is a shame when even after spending so much one has to return without any catch to see the entire trip wasted. It happens quite often now as the fish has also depleted due to commercial netting,” he explains.
The anglers have remedied this situation by starting chartering party boats. “We take people out to sea in big groups and they can also cook their catch on the boats while enjoying the festive atmosphere,” says Mr Agha.
Mr Ijlal, who owns The Pakistan Angler, also organises such guided tours on chartered boats.
“I hold a record for catching a 56kg cobia on a 20-pound line. I caught it in 1995 and the record still holds,” says the proud angler, looking forward to making a mark this year as well.
“But the government’s failure to provide a proper infrastructure is making the situation worse and worse for us to go out into the sea. We no longer own any boat as maintaining them is also an issue. Still we are trying our best to keep the sport alive in Pakistan. I have also started a sizeable group for sport fishing enthusiasts on Facebook,” he adds.
Meanwhile, the law and order situation is another major factor hindering the sport from developing here. “Recently three anglers were kidnapped on their way back from Mubarak Village and were released only after paying heavy ransoms, which is why no foreigners would be interested in coming here any longer. But we still have plenty of potential for local tourism,” says the IGFA representative.
