‘Marine pollution hits fishermens’ earnings’

Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum organised a public rally to mark World Fisheries Day, which the fishing community celebrates internationally on Nov 21 every year.

This year's theme of the day was 'We Live, We Celebrate, We Protect Fisherolk, Peasants, Indus River, Indus Delta, Oceans & Our Land'. The rally marched from Saddar to press club Karachi in which fisherfolk from across Sindh, human rights activists, civil society representatives, academia, environmental rights activities and researchers participated. The rally was held following a week of action against any construction of islands in Sindh, mangrove deforestation on the coast of Sindh, the issue of deep-sea trawlers destroying the livelihoods of small-scale fishers and the issue of marine pollution.

Addressing the rally, the Chairman of the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum, Mehran Ali Shah, said that overfishing, environmental pollution, increasing urbanisation and industrial activities had destroyed the natural source of income of the fishing communities living close to the waters leading to the depletion of fish stocks compelling fishers to leave their traditional means of livelihood.

He said that the life and livelihoods of 4500,000 fishers in Sindh and Balochistan are jeopardised due to the increase in marine pollution, unconventional and non-traditional fishing practices by use of destructive nets and deep-sea trawlers for which there is no policy at the federal and provincial level.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 22^nd, 2022.