With beginning of chilly winds of winter, seafarers increased their trawling time on the deep-sea near India and Iran maritime borders because a number of key species have receded. "Fishermen are never daunted by the cold weather conditions at sea, and the sailing and berthing of boats are the same as usual as summer high tide voyages," said President of Sindh Trawlers Owners Fishermen Association (Stofa), Habibullah Khan Niazi, on Saturday.
He said that boats were regularly going and coming during the cold waves. However, about catch volume he said: "It reduces in winter and increases in summer". He said that there are about 2500 operational boats out of 5,000 fit vessels, but half of them remain moored for fixing minor engine problems.
The deep-sea fishing trip period is up by 10 days' stay because the catch of seafood remains low, he said, adding that "normally, a trip lasts about 20 days but now it prolongs to even 30 days if fishermen do not have a sizeable catch".
Niazi said the fishermen continue their fishing at Sir Creek, close to Indian sea border and Balochistan, Jiwani, adjacent to Iran border to trap Ribbon fish, Heera, Maya, Cattle Fish, Dhother, White and Black Pomfret and Kiddi shrimp in the nets.
"These days, Dhother, White and Black Pomfret and Shrimp become rare," he said, adding that "Ribbon Fish, Heera, Kund, Cattle Fish and Kiddi are available in big numbers during the winter season". He said the period is lean in terms of fishing which would continue to remain for three months--December to February.
"In winter, prices of fish go up," the President of Stofa said, adding that "at present, now the rise is posted between 2 percent and 50 percent, depending on availability and demand of the species". For example, he said, the price of White Pomfret is now Rs 1100 per kg of an A-grade catch, which previously was selling for Rs 800.
Niazi said the number of crewmen varies, depending on the boat size, which is between 6 and 25. However, in the winter all of them have cold-protection clothing, jackets, gloves and shoes to remain unaffected from the marine weather conditions, he pointed out. "There are plentiful warm and waterproof kits at the market of second-hand clothes," he said, adding that voyages and fishing, in winter, are rather easier as compared to the sailing and trawling in summer, for the cold season, weather remains dull against the high tide violent sea in warm climate.