Boat owners on Thursday ended the 18-day strike after the Balochistan fisheries department accepted some of their demands. The Balochistan government agreed that it will not resort to gunfire at the fishing boats of Sindh if found in its waters and neither will confiscate seafood catch and diesel from boats, according to sources in fisheries sector.
However, it did not agree on reducing the Balochistan coastal limits from 12 nautical miles to mere three nautical miles, as proposed by the Karachi-bound boat owners. Further, the secretary Balochistan fisheries will hold a meeting on Saturday with local fishermen and boat owners in Karachi on the issue of hefty fines by the Balochistan fisheries department on the local boats.
According to a member of Sindh Fisheries Action Committee, Habibullah Khan Niazi, there was also a proposal for reducing the hefty fines from Rs 600,000, which was not accepted as yet. He said the Secretary Balochistan Fisheries has agreed to negotiate the issue in the coming meeting on March 6 in Karachi. These hefty fines hit badly the local boat owners.
He said, "boat owners have started loosening the ropes of their boats and filling ice into their holds. It is highly likely that they will unmoor by Saturday and begin voyage the deep sea," he said. About 3000 fishing boats have been moored for 18 days in protest against the killing of crewmember by the Balochistan fisheries department for unknowingly violating the provincial water limits.
Habibullah said Secretary Sindh Fisheries Laiq Ahmed and Administrator Fishermen Co-operative Society Jaffer Khawaja will help the boat owners resolve their problems in connection with Balochistan dispute. He said talks between Sindh and Balochistan fisheries authorities will continue in future too.
Local fishermen wanted changes in the Balochistan Fisheries Ordinance and therefore went on strike, said President Bona Fide Fishermen and Boat Owners Welfare Association, Asif Bhatti. According to Asif, the three-week long strike has inflicted financial losses on people working as crew on the long-trip boat, besides the auctioneers of seafood. Talking to Business Recorder, Chairman of the Pakistan Fisheries Exporters Association (PAKFEA) M Faisal Iftikhar said the strike has yet cast any negative impact on the seafood processing.
However, he expressed fear that if the strike continued any further, the production level will scale down for lack of raw material. "Until now seafood supply is moving on smoothly," he added. He said the industry is receiving a sufficient volume of high-value fish of squid and cuttle maya. Their export is currently made to China, where its unit price is $2 per kg, he added.