Boats have returned to fishing trips after cyclone Nilofar dissipation calmed the sea tides, Harbour officials said on Saturday. Around 100 big wooden fishing boats took shelter at the harbour moorages from expected cyclone in the Arabian Sea that was heading close to Sindh's coastal belt along Indian Gujarat.
The span of boats' stay at the harbour prolonged with the Muharram rites as many fishermen participated during the annual religious events. Fishermen however complained the harbour officials had denied them port clearance certificates to resume fishing immediately after the cyclone was over.
"We asked all the fishing boats if they want to set sail for fishing they are allowed on November 2, after the Met Office announced the cyclone threat is over," Harbour officials said. The government offices stayed closed from November 3 to November 4 on account of Muharram holidays. "From Wednesday all the boats should have left the harbour as their stay superseded for more two days after the harbour authorities allowed them to voyage on November 2," officials said.
All the boats sheltered at the harbour have sailed off Karachi coast or may be voyaging towards deep sea to hunt fish and shrimp of the season, they said, adding "the cyclone threat was however officially announced as dissipated on last Sunday." According to the Met Office the cyclone was primarily moving close to Indian Gujarat and may strike Thatta, Badin, Umerkot, Tharparkar, Mirpurkhas and Hyderabad districts and Karachi division with gusty winds and stormy rains.
The Met Office and Sindh government's all concerned departments had asked the fishermen voyaging deep sea to return to coast and communities living close to the Indian border to vacate their homes ahead of the cyclone. The cyclone threat suspended fishing activities at a time when annual fish and shrimp hunting season had started a couple of months with greater expectations of big seafood crop.
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