KARACHI, April 27: A ban has been imposed on the use of illegal fishing nets like bullo, Gujjo and katra under the Sindh Fisheries (Amendment) Bill, 2003, adopted by the Sindh Assembly.
An amendment to section 21 of the Sindh Fisheries Ordinance has been made through the said law under which a punishment of up to one-year imprisonment or a fine of Rs50,000 would be imposed or both if anyone found in violation of this law.
Lauding this amendment, Sindh Minister for Fisheries and Fishermen's Cooperative Society chairman Sardar Manzoor Panwhar termed it a landmark decision. He said the government had taken a bold step by imposing a long-demanding ban on the use of such destructive nets.
Mr Panwhar said this ban would be implemented in letter and spirit to stop damage to marine life and increase earning of poor fishermen in the province. He said the government had taken a bold step by imposing a ban on such destructive nets through an "act" passed by the Sindh Assembly, which would prove beneficial to the poor fishermen.
The minister further said the government was committed to providing relief to the poor people and had fulfilled the promise it made to fishermen by imposing a ban on such nets. The ban on destructive nets would help improve socio-economic conditions of poor fishermen, he added.
The minister said the federal government would be requested to consider the demand of the fishermen community for imposing a ban on deep-sea fishing so that the country's marine reserves could be protected and remained available for local fishermen.
According to marine ecologists, use of destructive nets in the coastal areas of Sindh was extremely detrimental for marine life as due to their excessive use marine resources were facing the threat of depletion.
FISHING LICENCES: The Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum alleged on Tuesday that the Sindh Fisheries Department, in violation to the federal laws, has granted deep-sea fishing licences to six trawlers of two companies.
In a statement issued here, the PFF has demanded cancellation of the licences and announced that it would oppose the department's move forcefully as the unlawful decision has created unrest among the fishing community.
The statement said the fisheries department had secretly allowed the companies to operate its trawlers in a 12-nautical mile area. The ABC Company had been allowed to operate four trawlers, while the Ali Fisheries allowed two trawlers, it added.
According to PFF, the fisheries department has to seek the federal government's approval before taking such a decision, but in this case no approval had been sought. -PPI