Destruction of fish habitat imperils livelihoods

ISLAMABAD: Aquaculture scientists and fisheries’ experts of member countries of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) have termed the destruction of fish habitat, pollution, silting, logging and mining threatening for the fisheries and aquaculture across the globe.

They expressed the concern at a three-day consultative meeting on the ‘Small Scale Fisheries in South Asia’, organised by the Ministry of National Food Security and Research in collaboration with the Saarc Agriculture Centre and Pakistan Agriculture Research Council (Parc).



They stated that the lack of community-based cooperation, assistance, trade unions and a co-management regime for greater legitimacy and ownership were the other challenges bedevilling the fisheries sector and halting their growth. “The fisheries sector is functioning as an engine of economic growth. Fish and fish product exports from South Asia amount to $6.5 billion with 4% year-on-year growth,” they pointed out.

They voiced fears that if appropriate measures were not taken, it could affect the livelihood of about 59.6 million people across the globe.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 28^th, 2018.

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