The Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum on Wednesday announced its campaign against deep-sea fishing trawlers and urged the government to cancel their licenses, "otherwise fishermen would come on to protest against them".
This announcement was made in a PFF meeting presided over by its chairperson Mohammed Ali Shah at Sachal Hall Ibrahim Hyderi. Meanwhile, a committee comprising three activist members of the organisation has been formulated to launch the campaign.
It was reviewed in the meeting that the growing violation and over-exploitation of large-sized deep-sea /factory trawlers have caused heavy reduction in fish stocks in Pakistani waters. According to an estimate more than 70 percent of fish stocks have been destroyed due to uncontrolled fishing by deep-sea trawlers.
These trawlers were allowed fishing in Pakistani waters under the Deep-sea Fishing Policy, which was initially introduced in 1995, but suspended by the government in early 2000. The fishermen had opposed this policy since its inception.
They have been complaining that the foreign trawlers were not only adversely affecting the livelihood of small fishermen, but also polluting the sea, because they were throwing by-catch excessively in the ocean.
Speaking on the occasion, Shah said that Pakistan government had re-introduced the deep-sea fishing policy and started issuing licenses to deep-sea trawlers.
Previously, the deep-sea trawlers were allowed to fish between 35 and 200 nautical miles, but in the new fishing policy, the 200-nautical mile long Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of Pakistan was divided in three zones.
The zone-I (0-12 nautical miles) was reserved for small fishermen, zone-II (12-35 nautical miles) was kept for medium-sized deep-sea trawlers and zone-III (35-2000 nautical miles) for large factory trawlers, which have drained the fish resources, Shah claimed.
The Marine Fisheries Department (MFD) claimed that not more than 25 licenses have been issued to deep-sea trawlers, but PFF believes that more than 50 big trawlers were operating in Pakistani waters.
"These fully mechanised and automated deep-sea/factory trawlers continue fishing round the clock. Even during the two-month ban, many foreign trawlers have been found fishing in Pakistani waters."
These factory trawlers catch millions of tonnes of fish with lengthy trawler nets, most of them are harmful for fish species. They catch hundreds of tonnes of small or non-commercial species of fish, which they discard and throw back in to the sea, causing pollution in the coastal waters.
"Even many catch shrimps, which are not allowed to them." Besides creating pollution, these factory trawlers are also adversely affecting the local fishermen as about 70 to 80 percent of small boats were standing idle, rendering thousands of fishermen jobless, PFF leader said. Moreover, they enter coastal waters and even into creeks, thus depriving local fishermen of their natural catch areas, while also destroying their nets, he added.
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