Drastic cut in oil prices: short-trip fishermen struggle to augment winter haul

Unlike deep-sea fishing trawlers, the short-trip fishermen still struggle to capitalise on the fuel oil price drastic cuts to augment their winter haul in the windy weather. "In winter windy season the size of fish catch declines almost by 50 percent which makes fishermen toil in going long deeper into sea. However, fuel oil price cuts will help us to increase fishing trawling," fishermen said.
The weather change makes fishermen increase their trawling since the fish species move down to seabed mainly in cold weather, they said, adding that the fuel oil price cut however may not help all of them benefit to improve their earnings. "In December and Jan every year, fishing activities scale down for winter gusty winds. Long trip boats not going above 50 percent to sea to trawl at present," the President of Sindh Trawlers Owners and Fishermen Association, Habib Khan Niazi.
Similarly, the representatives of small-boat fishermen, President of Native Islanders Fishermen Association Asif Bhatti confirmed that "some 50 percent boats are moored around islands for weather is changing to get cold". The country's total seafood export during July-October 2014-15 has fallen to $112.948 million from $118.742 million in July-October 2013-14, down by $5.794 million (5 percent), Pakistan Bureau of Statistics says.
Habib Khan said the fishermen would benefit from the fuel oil price cuts but not fully help them since almost all long-trip boats trawling close Iranian sea borders using the smuggled diesel at cheaper rates. "Trawlers getting Iranian diesel from deep-sea small tankers at low rates, which are cheaper than the local diesel therefore, the fresh cuts in oil prices will not have great impact on cost of fishing operation. But it may help us increase trawling a bit greater," he said.
Asif Bhatti said small trip boats were largely using local diesel which were provided them at rather increased rates making no such big benefit in term of reduction in cost of fishing operations. However, it would help many to increase trawling. "If diesel is available on the local market at Rs 78 per litre then we will be charged by the offshore floating tankers by Rs 84 per litre," he said, adding that the country's fisheries export was unlikely to show a robust growth due to the high cost of fishing. In term of volume, Pakistan seafood export stood at 44,032 metric tons in July-October 2014-15 falling by over four percent or 1997 metric tons from 46,029 metric tons in July-October 2013-14, the statistics suggest.
Asif Bhatti said that shrimp was not landing in big volume since winter has begun. However, a number of fish species were coming in big number including Dhodhar, Heera, Surmai, Kund (white and black), Saram etc. "Crabs are not landing in great volume due to growing industrial pollution in coastal creeks," he said.