Pathetic state of world fisheries

Fisheries are an abundant source of proteins and other essential nutrients for maintaining good health, and are also a rich source of seafood and foreign exchange earning for countries with coastal belts and inland fishery facilities. However, a recent UN study has found over two-third decline in world's fishstock due to overfishing, with the remaining one third being in serious decline due to a multiplicity of causes, including loss of fish habitats, rising pollution level and global warming.
This clearly calls for a concerted global strategy for reversing this dangerous trend that can not only lead to a serious disequilibrium of the global echo system, it can also make a serious impact on human health because of the resulting rising protein deficiency, with all the adverse economic fallout it can entail.
Things are no better in Pakistan where there has been 70 percent decline in fish production due to causes ranging from use of thin-sized meshes that net small fish, to reckless use of big trawlers, that sweep the sea bed completely, and in the process kill small marine animals that are an essential part of marine ecology.
A major cause of the problem has been lack of a cogent, comprehensive fishery policy to regulate this important sector of the economy. The government needs to formulate, and implement, a comprehensive and long-term fishery policy to avert the impending disaster. There is a need to demarcate, and enforce, fishing zones which can help regulate the fishing sector that provides livelihood to fishing communities, particularly those inhabiting the coastal regions.
A related problem that remains unresolved despite passage of decades is the issue of precise demarcation of "sea border" between India and Pakistan, because the sea border, unlike the land border, is harder to define, which makes it a contentious issue, that leads to diplomatic rows.
This often leads to arrest of fishermen who intentionally or unintentionally cross over to the territorial waters of neighbouring state. At a function held at Karachi Press Club to mark the World Fisheries Day last year, families of 90 fishermen, incarcerated in Indian jails on charges of crossing the disputed sea border, have urged the government to secure their release. The fact that the sea border has not been clearly demarcated opens that possibility of misuse of law of the sea. There is a perception that coast guards, particularly of India, though occasionally of Pakistan as well, often tend to round up fishing trawlers that could well be within their own territorial waters.
Such tit-for-tat activity needs to be stopped by both the countries because there is a strong humanitarian dimension to it. Use of a variety of fishing techniques and gadgets prohibited under UN conventions must be stopped through rigorous enforcement of law. There is a need also to police the sea borders with greater vigilance because this will not only help prevent poaching; it can help prevent piracy that has made a disturbing comeback over the recent years. Prevention of smuggling and terrorism are the added advantages.
There is also a need to modernize fishing techniques and gear to achieve target-oriented results, in order to avoid waste. Reckless trawling has already done enough damage to marine life, which has indirectly contributed towards the global climate change. Devastating floods, hurricanes and forest fires are some of effects humanity will have to live with, unless efforts to meet the Millenium Development Goals are speeded up. Unfortunately Pakistan, like some other countries has not done enough to achieve the MDGs.
The fish harbour at Karachi remains one of the dirtiest and most ill equipped facilities despite imposition of European Union ban on Pak seafood exports some years ago because of facility's failure to meet hygienic standards acceptable in European countries. The EU inspectors, despite repeated inspections, have failed to certify compliance with EU seafood guidelines. There is a perception that this has been due mainly to official apathy, worsened by lack of political will. This has been causing huge foreign exchange loss.
We are in need of billions of dollars for reconstruction and rehabilitation, and the response to UN appeal for aid so far has been inadequate. Fishing communities have been the worst suffers of after-effects of floods. The problem of decline in fish stock needs to be addressed in its entirety, to seek a long-term durable solution.