Non-availability of standardized nets may hit new fishing season

RECORDER REPORT

KARACHI: The new fishing season is feared to begin without standardized nets for catching shrimps and fish because of the unavailability of meshes to the fishermen, sources said on Tuesday.

According to an agreement, Pakistan Fisheries Exporters Association (Pakfea) and Pakistan National Fisheries Development Board are jointly responsible for making the officially-approved available in the local market, they said.

They said that the new fishing nets will either have to be imported or made locally.

Officials of Karachi Fish Harbour Authority (KFHA) said that the standard nets were likely to be available soon in the local markets. However, they conceded there are lesser chances of timely provision of meshes to the fishermen.

They said the delay in meshes availability can hit the local market, as demand for nets is rising as every fishermen will have to use the approved net for fishing. They said the KFHA has already dispatched nets samples to the Pakfea for making it available to fishermen as early as possible.

An official letter sent to different fisheries stakeholders states that the fishing nets will be exclusive of general sales tax. It also laid down the modus operandi in this regard.

 It says, “The requisite net will be distributed through Maritime Security Agency (MSA). MSA will stop the boat on the points where they set-up picket, if found destructive nets. MSA will take it into its custody and provide requisite notified nets to the boat. Cost of net will be recovered from owner of boat and deposited in the account of FDB/Pakfea.”

The authority will have to ensure the import of fishing nets which will be made on bridge financing, the letter said, adding that M/s. Flow (Pvt.) Ltd., and M/s. Fazal Industries have placed their quotations for the meshes. The Sindh government has set 65mm net size for fishing and 45 mm for hunting of shrimps, asking the fishermen to install the new nets to their boats and disband the existing destructive ones.