Fish smuggling to Iran has increased amid significant decline of 60 per cent in winter catch, as over 30 big trucks loaded with fish are leaving the fish harbour every day for Iran. Although the fishermen defend the illegal trade, arguing it provides them an opportunity to fetch maximum rates for their catch.
Fish is first transported to Gwadar and then smuggled into the Iranian border, fishermen told Business Recorder on Tuesday, saying that the illegal trade is flourishing. They allege that the concerned officials of the Fishermen Co-operative Society (FCS) and Karachi Fish Harbour Authority (KFHA) are completely backing the illegal business. However, they suggested that there should open market trade with increased buyers from other countries to decrease the local exporters' monopoly that has badly damaged the fishermen's livelihood.
Since smuggling has begun, the price of Silver Pomfret increased to Rs 575 per kg from Rs 200-230, Barred Spanish Mackerel to Rs 900 per kg from Rs 600, Queen Fish to Rs 300 per kg from Rs 160-190, Malabar Grouper to Rs 600 per kg from Rs 290-310, Silvery Grunter to Rs 280 from Rs 160-190 and Red Banded Grouper to Rs 290 from Rs 120.
Despite illegal trade entails negative impacts on the country's seafood export, it still remains the primary source to provide fishermen with an opportunity to earn.
Fishermen demanded of the government to award licenses to the foreign companies so that they could purchase seafood directly from them, which will reduce the role of middlemen. Besides, it will augment seafood export and eliminate the illegal trade.
President Bonafide Fishermen and Boats Owners Welfare Association Asif Bhatti says that whomever purchases seafood from the local fishermen on good rates, they will be selling the catch. "When the exporters do not give good price to the fishermen for their quality catch, then they are free to receive good price from other buyers."
He holds the concerned officials of FCS and KFHA responsible for the increasing smuggling of fish to Iran. The fish market (fisheries) lacks competition amongst the buyers as majority of whom are exporters dealing with fishermen through agents and never pay good rates for quality catch, he adds.
Majority of fishermen depends on the sale of catch, which they cannot afford to rot only because of not being sold. Therefore, they sell it to whoever pays them with good rates, Asif says, "there is no price fixation mechanism in the fish market."
He pointed out that SMEDA has also called for the fish rates fixation to protect the fishermen from losses and demanded the government to fix minimum rates of the fish. About the catch decline, he says the gusty winds, rains and cold have reduced the fishing activities of the deep sea fishermen by 60 per cent and the daily wagers, catching fish within 12 nautical miles from the coast, by 70 per cent.