KARACHI, Nov 9: The Sindh Coastal Development Authority (SCDA) will carry out schemes in the coastal areas of Thatta and Badin, including the Coastal Aquaculture Master Plan, Marine Fisheries Surveillance and Shrimp Breeding, at an estimated cost of Rs75.25 million during the current financial year, to improve the fisheries sector.

To be implemented in the fisheries sector, the SCDA will execute the schemes in collaboration with the department concerned.

According to the SCDA sources, the schemes aim at creating awareness among about 48,000 people living along the coastal belt of the province, regarding various revenue generating technologies to be used in the fisheries sector apart from fish netting.

The authority hoped that the schemes would play an important role in fish production by adopting modern technologies covering 0.3 million hectares of coastal land, the sources said.

According to the sources, the Aquaculture Plan would lead to sustainable production and help check pollution in the coastal areas.

It said that marketing areas would be designed through setting up product outlets by developing aquaculture industry.

Under the plan, landing and marketing facilities for small-scale fishermen would be ensured, besides improving fish quality to increase foreign exchange earnings, the sources said.

The Marine Fisheries Surveillance Project had been envisaged to carry out surveillance during ban on shrimping in and around the creeks and coastal areas to check the illegal activity.

The SCDA sources observed that the action taken against offenders at landing sites/jetties, did not serve the purpose of marine conservation, thus the shrimp resources were depleting day by day, resulting in declining export earnings.

The authority intended effective enforcement of the Sindh Fisheries Ordinance, regarding fishing with banned nets, Bullo, Gujjo and Katra, through surveillance of the creeks, besides obtaining useful data regarding landing of fish and shrimp in remote coastal fishing stations, which had no road access, the sources informed.—APP