Dwindling fisheries stocks in the wake of overfishing and poor regulations pulled down Pakistan's seafood export to $324.859 million in just ended last fiscal year 2015-16, down by seven percent. The country's seafood export stood at $349.235 million in fiscal year 2014-15 that scaled down by $24.376 million during the last financial year 2015-16, according to Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).
"Landing of nearly all fisheries species with shrimps has declined over the years that resulted in seafood export fall in fiscal year 2015-16," President, Sindh Trawlers Owners and Fishermen Association, (Stofa), Habibullah Khan Niazi told Business Recorder Wednesday.
He blamed the provincial and federal governments for a rapid decline in seafood export by $24.376 million last fiscal year, saying that "the PPP provincial and PML-N federal governments have no interests in boosting up the country's vanishing seafood export and poor fisheries sector". In term of volume: Pakistan's seafood export also plunged by five percent or 7023 metric tons to 130,358 metric tons during the last fiscal year from 137,381 metric tons in the fiscal year 2014-15. "Global prices for seafood were good but local landings were low last fiscal year," Niazi said.
In June 2016, the country's seafood export slumped by 21 percent or $5.137 million to $19.372 million from $24.509 million in June 2015. Volume of seafood export also scaled back by 11.1 percent or 1075 metric tons to 8,565 metric tons in June 2016 from 9,640 metric tons in June 2015. "The use of illegal nets is open since the regulations are loose with the poor governance by the Sindh and federal authorities. Laws are there but no authority is willing to implement them to help protect fisheries from overfishing and improve their stocks for future," the Stofa President said.
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