Mubarak Village: Fishermen forced to live in abject poverty

Fishermen communities of Mubarak Village have urged the government to provide them alternative sources of income as the fisheries sector is under tremendous pressures and could hardly meet their economic needs. They demanded that a special development plan be made to boost the economic activities in their village.
They say because of centuries old socio-economic conditions, lack of basic necessities and their bare survival depending on only fishing sector, they are forced to live in abject poverty. The community leaders complained that village was without drinking water, electricity, health and education facilities.
An elderly of Mubarak Village admitted that overfishing by local and foreign trawlers had ruined the coastal economy and brought miseries to small fishermen. According to him, the unregulated fishing by the mechanised trawlers in the coast of Karachi had not only wiped out fish species, but these had also deprived small fishermen of their livelihood. Despite repeated protests, the government did nothing to stop the harmful practice, which is still continuing.
The fishermen from Mubarak Village were of the view that time had come that the government should act promptly in the interest of fisheries sector and fishermen communities by putting a complete ban on fishing by mechanised trawlers in the coast of Karachi. At the same time, they maintained that emphasis be laid on the development side by launching income-generating projects as presently livelihood of fishermen merely depended on fishing only and they had no other option, but to suffer economically because of decline in fish products due to multiple reasons.
"There a major decrease had been noted in the fish species for the past few years due to mechanised fishing introduced by deep sea trawlers", said Bashir Baloch, a fisherman of Mubarak Village. As result, a number of fish species being in abundance in the past, has now completely become extinct, he added.
He said that situation had further aggravated the economic difficulties of small fishermen who are forced to live in abject poverty. "Each fishermen family has an average of 8 to 12 children. Due to lack of alternatives means of income, these youngsters have been forced to find their livelihood from the common resources of sea, being exploited by their forefathers" further said Bashir Baloch. The community of Mubarak Village has called upon the government to prepare a development plan for the coastal area of Karachi to enable the fishermen communities to find alternative means of income.