The coastal creeks of the province are all set to undergo overexploitation this year too as the Sindh government is about to issue a decree to relax fishing ban in June. "The overexploited sea is again not finding a sigh of relief as fishermen, boat owners and exporters found consensus to continue business in June," fisheries sources said on Thursday.
Howevper, Pakistan Fisheries Exporters Association (Pakfea) and Sindh Trawlers Owners and Fishermen Association (Stofa) told Business Recorder that they were against the ban relaxation and the government should enforce the law to protect fisheries from overexploitation. "This is our [exporters] historic stance that the government should place the ban for two months and we will support the ban," Pakfea Chairman Faisal Iftikhar said, adding the government should restrict fishing vessels at moorages during the ban period.
Stofa President Habibullah Khan Niazi said: "The government should enforce the two-month [June and July] ban on coastal, deep sea and creek fishing as per law." He said the Stofa will abide by the fisheries laws. Though the government is going to impose the ban on fishing in July, sources said. However, they claimed "the shrimp catch will continue in the ban period as well through backdoors". They said the fishermen and boat owners have pressed their demand before the government to seek a ban relaxation in June.
The role of Karachi Fish Harbour Authority (KFHA) is dormant for quite some times to regulate businesses at the country's largest fish harbour since the Fishermen Co-operative Society (FCS) has overlapped its jurisdiction. "The KFHA will surely enforce the ban if the government imposes it on all kind of landing at the harbour," officials told Business Recorder, saying "the authority will place the restriction only within its jurisdiction, the fish harbour".
Fisheries sources said: "The government may place ban in July but the stakeholders will continue their dealings during the ban as none is ready to afford financial loss in the peak shrimp landing season." According to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), the country's export of seafood posted a sizeable growth of $20.555 million in July-March 2013-14. However, in term of volume, seafood growth stood at 37 metric tons to 103,833 metric tons during July-March 2013-14
On a yearly basis, seafood export plunged by $2.035 million (6.22 percent) to $30.687 million in March 2014. The seafood export scaled back by 861 metric tons (6 percent) to 13,931 metric tons, the statistics show. "Greed is behind the over-fishing by fishermen, who aim to satisfy the exporters demand for more and more landing no matter what size the catch is netted deep sea," sources said, adding that "the stakeholders continued purchase and sale of shrimp during the past bans".
This year, they said, the consensus was greater as all stakeholders agreed to support 'trading in ban' and none will complain or clamour over the 'underhand' activities in July. "The KFHA is unlikely to step up against the ban violation as in the past it grew disputes with the stakeholders, while enforcing the ban," they pointed out. Separately, the fishermen have begun their drive to press the government for ban relaxation in June that may be stretched even to July, sources said, adding that "the sea is at danger from overexploitation by unregulated fishing".
Faisal Iftikhar dismissed the rumours that exporters will continue their businesses despite the ban through backdoors. "Rumours against us [exporters] are always there. We demand of the government to ensure fishing ban on all boats during the June and July at any cost," he said.
Habibullah Khan Niazi said the stakeholders including his association have held two meetings with the Chairman of FCS on the ban issue recently. "The Stofa stance was clear on the two months ban on fishing," he said. He said the ban for its original period should be placed to help fisheries sector growth its catch for the rest of the year. "The enforcement of ban must be ensured," he said, adding that FCS Chairman Nisar Morai has assured stakeholders of strict implementation of ban from July 1.
"The FCS Chairman told at the meetings that from next year the ban will stay for two months," he said, adding that the FCS also assured to bar all kind of seafood landing in July as auction markets will remain locked till August 1. However, he anticipated the PPP government will relax the ban for June this year as the Sindh Fisheries Minister during the same meeting assured the fishermen and FCS of pleading to the Sindh chief minister to allow fishing in June. According to law the fishing ban is placed in June and July every year to provide a sigh of relief to the exhausted sea and help the marine animals breed during the season.