Arrival of foreign trawlers smells fishy to local fishermen

Federal ministry invited fishing companies to apply for licences through newspaper advertisements

KARACHI:

The arrival of six foreign deep sea trawlers on the shores of Pakistan has raised concerns among the fishermen community, who fear their source of livelihood is at risk.

"There is no stock of fish in our waters," said a fisherman from Ibrahim Hyderi, Mohammad Siddique. "If they [trawlers] start fishing, we'll be starving along with our children," he claimed.



According to Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum (PFF), the six trawlers arrived at Korangi Fisheries Harbour Authority (KFHA) on Friday. These trawlers almost wiped out fish from the coast some 15 years ago, claimed another fisherman Talib Kutchi. "They'll wipe out the remaining stock in the sea. There is not enough stock for such big trawlers,” he claimed. "Only local fishermen can survive."

He said that the majority of population living along the coast rely on fishing. "With the arrival of these Chinese trawlers, our youth, women and children will suffer the most," he added.

There is a shortage of fish in the creek due to the stoppage of water from the Indus River, said another fisherman Soomar. "Over fishing has already disturbed us," he added. "These trawlers will take away everything we depend upon."



Reiterating this view, PFF chairperson Mohammad Ali Shah said that the trawlers will put fishermen in a critical condition. It is not only just fish and other marine species, Shah explained. "But these trawlers will destroy the marine ecology completely," he added.

Licence to fish

"Trawlers’ arrival in our area is banned and it's illegal," said Shah. "The government plans to issue them licences," he claimed, adding that the deep sea trawlers can't come without the permission of the federal government.

He fears that the fishing industry will be in crisis if the government issues them licence. "People living near the coast will face hunger. There will be unemployment and displacement."

Speaking about the licence issue, Sindh fisheries department director-general Ghulam Mohammad Mahar said that the provincial government only allows licences to fishermen within its limit. "We don't issue licences for deep sea fishing." It is the responsibility of the federal government, he added.



"I invited applications [for licences to trawlers] through newspapers," confirmed marine fisheries director-general Israr Ahmed who functions under the federal ports and shipping ministry.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, Ahmed said that there had been no trawlers in our waters since 2005. However, now applications have been invited for fishing, he said. "We have resources and they should be exploited."

The local fishermen catch their fish within 20 miles radius, said Ahmed explaining the grievances of the fishermen community. "The foreign trawlers will go behind this limit to 200 miles," he said. The foreign trawlers won't be allowed to catch fish within the 20-mile radius, he added.

Protest plans

In a meeting held at the PFF office on Monday, the fishermen community decided to protest against the arrival of trawlers. The PFF will stage a protest outside the KFHA tomorrow (Wednesday) morning.

"We are already against these trawlers," said Shah. "We will raise the issue at all national and international forums," he claimed. "It is an issue of life and death of fishermen and we will not allow anyone to exploit our meagre resources."

The PFF has also decided to write letters to the federal government, prime minister, senate chairperson and Sindh and Balochistan chief ministers to stop issuing licences to deep sea trawlers.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 22^nd, 2015.