FISHERIES IN PAKISTAN;

ISSUES & SOLUTIONS

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MARINE FISHING AREAS FOR PAKISTAN

The catch consists of more than 30 species of

shrimp, ten species of crab, five species of
lobster, and 70 commercial species of fish
including sardine, hilsa, shark, mackerel,
butter fish, pomfret, sole, tuna, seabream, Jew
fish, catfish and eel.
Gwadar is the most important fishing port on
this coast. It is developed as a fishing centre
by providing improved facilities such as an ice
factory, refrigeration plants and modern fish
curing(preserving) methods. 2
MARINE FISHERIES ZONES OF PAKISTAN

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FISH EXPORTS BY VALUE FROM
PAKISTAN

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 HARBORS OF PAKISTAN

 Karachi Fisheries Harbor is being operated by Provincial

Government of Sindh. this harbor handles about 90% of fish
and seafood catch in Pakistan and manages 95% of fish and
seafood exports from Pakistan.
 Korangi Fish Harbor is being managed by Federal Ministry of
Food, Agriculture and Livestock.
 Pasni Fish Harbor being operated by Provincial Government of
Balochistan.
 Gwadar Fish Harbor being operated by Federal Ministry of
Communication.

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FISH PRODUCTION OVER THE YEARS IN
PAKISTAN

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 PROBLEMS OF FISHERIES INDUSTRY

Pollution on the coast of Pakistan is mostly limited

to the Karachi area. The Karachi fish harbour is
severely affected by a variety of pollutants.
 Spillage of oil from ships and domestic and
Industrial waste is causing great harm to
fishing Industry.
Mangrove forests that are breeding ground for fish
and shrimps can not grow well in polluted sea
water.
Overfishing has resulted in decrease in fish
production

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ISSUES

Affect of Flood on fish population

Lack in water supply for aquaculture
In Pakistan most of the fishing is done in
traditional lines which results in low output.
Low capacity boats
Preservation of fish after catch
Lack of Designated harbors
Lack of Fish feeds
Lack of governmental Hatcheries
Marketing Issues 8
CONT.

Lacking in Deep Sea policy

Lack In technical trainings
Water body control for Aquaculture
Reduction in fleet size
No credit facility for fisheries
High mortality rates of fish
Climate Change
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SOLUTIONS

Financing Fish Export Development

Schemes
Provide targeted finance to enable
sustainable growth in the export sector.
A scheme to finance development of
local and cost-effective cultivation of
soybean

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CONT.

Building Capacity of Educational Institutes to Improve Skills of

Workforce
 Establishment of vocational training centers close to important
production and processing sites. Currently, Sindh has few centers in
Chilya and Sukkarin and Punjab has a dedicated Fisheries Research
and Training Centre at Manawan. However, the Marine Fisheries
Centre constructed in Gawadar has yet to be commissioned.
 Well-researched curricula that connects content with the strategic
needs of the industry.
 Focused trainings on aquaculture, value-added processing, and
quality control.
 Field-based training programs that offer fish catching simulations
will stir up innovation provided government offers grants with the
help of private sector

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CONT.

National Action Plan to Regulate Fishing

 Clear set of rules to filter off all illegal and unregulated
fishing activities which has paved way for unwanted predator
fish to grow in numbers, affecting breeding stock of
commercially important fish.
 Formation of vigilance team in Sindh comprising of local
dwellers and police patrol vessels for systematic monitoring
of the coastal line within the 12 nautical miles radius

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CONT.

Structuring Database and Aligning Research to Meet Consumer

Demand
 Season-wise detailed information on all types of fish species
caught at marine coastal belt and inland sources as well
through production in aquaculture farms
 Timely update of stock status and existing fishing gear types.
 Establishing of research think-tanks to gauge the
effectiveness and fairness of budget allocation to fisheries in
all four provinces.

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CONT.

Upgrading Post-Harvest Facilities and Infrastructure

 Landing sites and chilling units need a thorough reviewal by
the fisheries authorities and provincial governments.
 Korangi Harbor of Karachi remains underutilized and as a
result not serving its construction purpose whereas Karachi
Fishing Harbor remains heavily congested today
Stakeholder involvement
Technology Upgradation

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CONT.

Sanitary Measures
Improvement of sanitary controls in the fishing value chain.
Effective mechanism should be placed to ensure clean or
chlorinated water is used to wash equipment after processing is
completed.

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CONT.

Sustainable catching practices

 Restrict fishing in breeding seasons and areas with high
population of juvenile fish. Governments should impose
temporary sanctions and controls on fishing depleted fish stocks
 Harmful types of fishing gear must be barred to ensure that
livelihoods of communities living along the coastal belt are
protected.
 Limit growth of vessels through by putting in place a well-
articulated licensing plan as this will systematically reduce
overcapacity of juvenile fish caught. Alternatively, a system for
real-time tracking of fishing activities should be designed by
federal agencies in coordination with their provincial
counterparts.

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 POLICY FRAME WORKS

Pakistan is a Party to the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea

since February 1997.
It has signed the 1995 UN Fish Stocks Agreement in February 1996.
In addition to that Pakistan is member of
Asia-Pacific Fishery Commission (APFIC) The Commission is an advisory
body, its purpose is to promote the full and sustainable utilization of
living aquatic resources through economically viable and environmentally
sustainable policies, practices and operations and finding solutions to
emerging regional fisheries issues that affect the member countries.
Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) The objective of the Commission is
to promote the conservation and optimal utilization of tuna and tuna-like
stocks covered by the IOTC Agreement, and to encourage sustainable
development of fisheries.
Network of Aquaculture Centers in Asia-Pacific (NACA) NACA seeks to
improve rural income, increase food production and foreign exchange
earnings and to diversify farm production, in such a way that the ultimate
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beneficiaries of NACA activities are farmers and rural communities.
 STEPS TAKEN BY GOVERNMENT TO
UPLIFT FISHERIES SECTOR
 The introduction of new fishing methods.
 Shrimp farming
 Cage fish
 Trout farming in KPK
 Development of value added products such as canned fish by
providing fish processing facilities at harbors.
 Guidance and weather information for the fisherman through
broadcasting services.
 Updation of fishing harbors with state of the art technologies
 Modern fisherman villages
 Installation of desalination plants
 Provision of Floating jetty

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 EFFECTS OF GOVERNMENT
INTERVENTIONS IN FISHERIES SECTOR

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 EXPECTED SOCIO-ECONOMIC BENEFITS

Greater return to fisherman

Increased employment
Use of technology and upgradation of
skills
Increased fish production
Favorable impact on foreign exchange
earnings
Reduces burden on crop and livestock
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 CONCLUSIONS

Marine fisheries dominate the fish production

as Pakistan has a large coastline divided into
the Sindh and Makran coasts (Sindh coast is
30% of coastline and the Makran coast 70%)
Pakistan has four major harbors (Karachi,
Gawadar, Pasni, Korangi) to facilitate the
catch.
Pakistan produces 650,000 tonnes a year, with
400,000 tonnes coming from marine sources
and 250,000 tonnes from inland fishing.
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 CONCLUSIONS

Pakistan has potential of generating revenue from

its fisheries but problems such as pollution,
technology advancement (fishing gears, boats),
storage capacity at harbors should be enhanced
(designated harbors).
Other factors involve protection of aquatic
environment (mangrove forests) and involvement of
local fishermen by providing training to them.
PM’s agriculture uplift program has focused on
various procedures to uplift the fisheries sector.

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 CONCLUSIONS

 Government should provide support to this industry in terms

of technology and financing as this industry has potential to
grow and contribute effectively in Pakistan's growth

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THANK YOU

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