The Punjab government has planned to execute five new schemes in the fisheries sector during the financial year 2017-18 besides working on nine ongoing schemes with a provision of Rs 0.850 billion.
Major targets and new initiatives fixed for 2017-18 are establishment of Tilapia Research Centre at Fisheries Research & Training Institute, Lahore; studies on economic analysis of cage fish culture in Potohar Region; establishment of Tilapia Hatchery and Shrimp Culture Farms at Muzaffargarh; establishment of Biodiversity Hatchery at Trimmu Head Works for sustainability of Riverine Fisheries resources and establishment of aquaculture export processing zone under PPP mode.
The vision of fisheries department is to conserve, manage and develop aquatic resources in public and private sector to meet the protein requirements of growing population and livelihood of the rural folk. Goals and objectives of the department are conservation and management of natural fisheries resources, increase in fish production through better exploitation of natural aquatic resources, promotion of aquaculture and fish farming in private sector through institutional and logistic support, research and development program focusing on disease control, genetics, protection of vulnerable species and productivity enhancement.
For the current fiscal, the fisheries department could not spend allocated amount and surrendered 0.213 billion against released amount of Rs 0.617 billion. Original allocation was Rs 0.755 billion and revised allocation was Rs 0.568 billion for 11 on-going and four new development schemes. Under Khadim-e-Punjab Kissan Package, a scheme titled "increase in fish seed production to support private fish farmers" at the total cost of Rs 0.160 billion was although included under forest sector but its execution is being carried out through the fisheries department.
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