The country's key marine stock census has reached a dead-end due to the lack of funds with the last exploration by a Norwegian vessel on the 1,100 km sea-belt in October last year. The census had to be completed by June, 2011, sources said on Tuesday.
"The census project was approved in 2006 to complete in 2009. For unknown reasons it could not begin on time and was extended twice meanwhile to conclude by June 2011," they said, adding that since then only two short but inconclusive explorations could take place.
Marine Fisheries Department (MFD) had devised the plan to find out the present status of marine species in the country's seawaters but failed to reach the conclusion because of limited financial resources, they said. A Norwegian ship FRAD JOF NANSON was last assigned to carry out marine life census and find out the present condition of several marine species. The ship reached the country's waters on October 9, last year.
The ship however completed the first phase of the census but Norwegian and Pakistani experts failed to set forth the findings for unknown reasons, according to the sources, saying "since then there are no signs the vessel may resume its job for the second phase".
They pointed out the last phase of census continued only for 40 days on the sea and largely remained inconclusive, which cost about Rs 495.6 million, though the foreign vessel was to highlight the presence of different marine species including fish, shrimp, crab and other crustaceans.
Pakistan's last marine census was carried out some 20 years ago. The one that took place in November, 2009 also by a foreign vessel - RVII Al-Firdosi ploughed the country's sea. Results of the census by Al-Firdosi have still to be made public. MFD governed the census project through hiring foreign technically sound and well-equipped vessels to ascertain the existing status of various species beneath the waves and on the seabed, sources added.
It became difficult to ascertain whether the census project was approved in 2006 for three years or five years period, as earlier, officials claimed it was devised for five years under public sector development programme. Previously, they said the unavailability of vessel had delayed commencement of the census on the country's seawaters, which now has reached its dead-end for lack of funds.
The latest census by the Norwegian ship undertook gauging all the sea levels at the country's different fishing fields for about 40 days, according to officials, saying the compilation of the report could not be completed until now, although, it had to be done at the exploration time.
Sources said the Al-Firdosi ship failed to survey the sea for eight days because MFD did not facilitate the Iranian vessel, which continued facing problems at different stages. Since its arrival until setting out to the census task, it lingered for some 15 days at seaport for not receiving an intelligence clearance from different concerned authorities, they said.
"The Al-Firdosi episode is one of the country's tragic incidents. It undertook the project at a time when its crew had decided to abort the trip and leave Pakistan because of unfriendly arrangements they faced from the first day," they said. Pakistan's only surveyor ship's seaworthiness had expired in 1993 and since then Pakistan could not acquire such a vessel to continue the country's marine life census.