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KARACHI: Over 100 metric tonnes of rare haul of catfish has fetched fishermen Rs11 million at Karachi fish harbour, last Saturday. Surge of the fish was too large at Khai Creek that made the fishermen employ seven boats to trawl into the sea on mouth of the Indus Delta during last weekend.

The haul took over five hours for the Fishermen to harvest the entire school of catfish, weighting over 100 metric tonnes. The catch was auctioned at Karachi Fish Harbour fetching Rs110 per kg, making a total sale of Rs11 million, the WWF-Pakistan said on Monday.

"Catfish form large breeding aggregations in coastal areas," Muhammad Moazzam Khan, Technical Advisor (Marine Fisheries), WWF-Pakistan said. During such aggregations, he pointed out, females lay their eggs. Since catfish are mouth breeders, therefore male species first pick up the just laid eggs from water and sediment and keep them in their mouth for about one month after which juveniles are released into the sea."During this period male catfish do not feed and rely on their accumulated fat," he said.

Such an aggregation may consist of one or multi-species of catfish simultaneously breeding in winter.

"The present aggregation seems to consist of only one species, which is called Netuma thalassina or giant catfish which can grow to a size of 180 cm (achieving 19 kg)," according to Khan.

In the past, aggregation of sea catfish was frequently found between October to March along the coast of Pakistan.

Such mass-scale aggregations are called 'Pinn' in Sindhi and 'Aaranga' in Balochi. These schools of sea catfish were regularly observed at the mouth of creeks in the Indus Delta, Sonmiani Bay, Ormara and Pasni in Balochistan.

However, as a result of over fishing and changes in the oceanographic conditions, such aggregations have become a rare occurrence.

The last such aggregation was reported from the mouth of Khobar Creek in March 2017 when about 80 metric tonnes of catfish was harvested by four boats.

While, along the Balochistan coast the last aggregation was reported in April 2015 near Malan and about 150 metric tonnes of catfish was harvested by 10 boats.

The largest known aggregation of a school of sea catfish was reported in April 1984 in Ormara (Pedi Zur) when about 700 metric tonnes of catfish was harvested by fishermen from a single catfish school, which took five days to complete.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020

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