Clampdown threats on unlicensed fishing in the deep sea is looming large to start haunting trawling boats, as exporters fear the hunting restrictions will further pull down the country's seafood export.
The federal deep sea fishing policy is expected to take place from Aug 1, which is starting day of new fishing season, to only permit the licensed trawlers for hunting fish and shrimp beyond the country's maritime belt has widely created discount in the seafood export industry. If the controversial fishing policy is invoked to crack down on fishing boats going deep sea, the exporters say it will damage the seafood export in the new fiscal year.
Pakistan Fisheries Exporters Association on Wednesday provided a copy of a letter that the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency has circulated among the fisheries stakeholders underlining several points to restrict the unlicensed fishing in the country's seas. The worrying point of the letter for exporters and fishermen is that the Sindh bound trawlers cannot hunt in Balochistan waters.
"The MSA has again started campaigning like last year which shall be damaging to export just before opening of new season," Pakistan Fisheries Exporters Association chairman Akhlaq Hussain Abidi told Business Recorder, saying that the letter shows a possible crackdown on the deep sea fishing. If the clampdown starts, he feared the move will disturb fishing, demanding of the federal ports and Shipping Ministry to stop the much anticipated action by the MSA ahead.
He supported clampdowns on use of illegal nets being applied in hunts, smugglings through seas but not the capturing of Sindh bound boats in Balochistan waters, saying that "fishing beyond 12 nautical miles cannot be stopped till all stakeholders come to an agreement," on the deep sea fishing policy. Abidi recommended the federal government to put the 'defunct' deep sea fishing policy on hold until a decision all fisheries stakeholders including seafood processing units, fishermen, boats owners and others related to the very sector and the ports and shipping ministry agree upon.
"The MSA has circulated this letter which is not in line with the findings of last meeting of all stakeholders at KPT," he said, seeking the deep sea fishing policy should not be executed until a consensus is reached. He said that Pakistan suffered 3 percent fall in seafood export only because of the restriction on hunts in the wake of fishing policy, which should not happen again.
The policy marks three zones including: Zone-I stands up to 12 nautical miles, Zone-II from 12 nautical miles to 20 nautical miles and Zone-III up to 200 nautical miles for licensed fishing. Zone-I is under Sindh government's authority, while Zone-II and Zone-III under the federal government's jurisdiction. The fishermen are asked to comply with the rules. Fishermen belonging to Sindh and Balochistan have been provided with fishing in Zone-I and Zone-II but will have to take a license from their respective governments to hunt fish and shrimp on the sea legally. For deep sea fishing, fishermen and boat owners will have to obtain license from the federal government.
The foreign trawlers have been allotted licenses to hunt fish and shrimp in Zone-III, as they will not be permitted trawling into Zone-I and Zone-II. If any local fishermen or boat owners intend to hunt in deep sea should follow the policy conditions that primarily include: A boat must be registered with Mercantile Marine Department, should have a fishing license from Marine Fisheries Department, all basic credential of fishermen should be made available before sailing deep sea, all the vessels should have vessel monitoring system (VMS) installed, all fishermen going for hunt should be Pakistani nationals.
According to the letter, "utilization of illegal fishing gears is causing great loss to fish stock as well as to economy, which has resulted into sanction on Pakistan due to which Pakistani products cannot be exported directly to the US and European countries," pointing out that smuggling of fish catch to evade taxation is also one of the reasons for slow economic progress. "Under such circumstances regulation of fishery remains vital to stop further delay/downfall of the economic growth," it says.
The country's seafood export reduced to $438.021 million in fiscal year 2018-19, falling short by $12.286 million or 3 percent to keep up with the seafood export of $451.021 million fiscal year 2017-18. In term of volume, Pakistan's seafood export declined to 195,523 metric tons in July-June 2018-19 from 196,927 metric tons in July-June 2017-18, showing a fall of one percent or 1404 metric tons. In June 2019, Pakistan exported $32.168 million of seafood, which is higher by 19 percent or $5.125 million from $27.043 million in June 2018. Seafood export quantity also grew by 19 percent or 2392 metric tons to 15,213 metric tons in June 2019 from 12,821 metric tons in June 2018, Pakistan Bureau of Statistics say.
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