The annual fishing ban brings fish and shrimp hunting to a halt on Tuesday (today), as fishermen returned to moor their vessels amid gusty winds and high tides at rough Arabian Sea. This time, the advent of holy month of Ramadan and the annual fishing ban coincided to bar the fishermen from seagoing. In the past, a small number of fishermen used to violate the ban and voyage on the hostile sea to fishing.
The ban lift on August 1 will start the new fishing season, as thousands of fishermen will celebrate the opening of voyages to go deep sea. "In Ramadan, fishermen usually stay at home to observe fasting," said a fisherman. Officials of Karachi Fish Harbour Authority (KFHA) said the ban will remain enforced till July 31 before officially the restriction is removed to allow fishing on August 1. They said the authority has closed down its services to issue permits to fishermen, as ban takes place.
"The KFHA has stopped issuing port clearance documents to deep-sea going boats till July 31," they said, adding that the authority will not allow unloading and auctioning of seafood, besides shrimp and fish hunting within its jurisdiction. However, a section of fishermen rejects the ban, suggesting the government to consider their problems on serious grounds. "Placing ban grows our problems and we need a job to ensure living," said a fisherman Muhammad Abdullah.
According to fishermen associations, shrimps and scores of fish species are under threat of extinction in about 1200 creeks across the province due to illegal hunting. "Bolo gojo [illegal nets] are freely used for shrimp and fish, which the government should ban," says President Native Islanders Fishermen Association (Nifa), Asif Bhatti.
Fishermen said the government should ban all illegal nets for fishing. "The government should focus on illegal fishing activities in the province coastal creeks," they said. There are around 1400 small and medium-sized operational fishing vessels, which the Keamari fishermen run for hunting on coastal sea and beyond the country's maritime limits, have moored ahead of the ban.
The ban is cited to help shrimp and fresh water fish species breed smoothly. The breeding is believed to take place in June and July every year, in open sea, creeks and rivers, according to Marine Fisheries Department (MFD). According to the government's ordinance the annual ban is for two months (June and July) to restrict hunting of shrimps. The government's political compulsions let to reduce the annual ban reduce to July only.
"During the ban, hunting for seafood on deep sea and shorelines, auctioning of catch its trade and supplies will be halted for two months. The KFHA has the powers to fine anyone found violating the ban," KFHA officials said. They said Maritime Security Agency and Pakistan Coast Guards will have a strict check on fishing vessels moving out of the harbour navigational channel. The KFHA will closely monitor the ban starting from July 1, the official added.
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