Joint patrolling to curb illegal fishing

QUETTA:

Local fishermen, Balochistan Fisheries Department, law enforcement agencies and district administration agreed to form a joint patrolling team aimed at keeping a check on illegal fishing trawlers and to protect the marine life along the Balochistan coast. The decision was taken during a consultative meeting held at the assistant commissioner Hub office on Monday.

AC Hub, officials of the Balochistan Coast Guards, police, levies, fisheries and representatives of the fishermen of Gadani, a coastal belt of Balochistan, attended the meeting. The representatives of Anjuman- e -Mahirgeer Gadani said that the Gajah and Trawler Mafia were not only involved in making fishing community destitute by illegal fishing but also responsible for the destruction of marine life.

The Assistant Director Fisheries told the participants that the department was short of the resources as the department’s patrolling boats had been non-functional for quite some time. “Despite this, we are trying our best to discourage illegal fishing with available limited resources,” he maintained.

To a great extent illegal fishing can be curtailed, if the district administration and fishermen cooperate,” he said while seeking cooperation of the district administration and fishing community. AC Hub, officials of Coast Guards on this occasion assured the fishermen of their full support. The fishermen thanked the administration and officials of the LEAs for their cooperation and called upon the fisheries department officials to take stern action against the trawler mafia.

"Our boats will be available for fisheries department if needed," they said. The participants of the meeting decided that a joint patrol team comprising police, ;evies and Coast Guard personnel will carry out joint patrols with fisheries personnel. Likewise, if any trawlers are seen in Gadani, the representatives of the fishermen association will report directly to the assistant commissioner.