Govt takes action against illegal fishing in Gwadar

Fisheries DG claims cases have been registered against the accused

QUETTA:

Fisheries department has launched a crackdown against the elements involved in illegal fishing and trawling in Gwadar and other areas of Balochistan.

The Fisheries Director-General Saifullah Khetran on Monday said the department seized four illegal fishing trawlers in Pasni tehsil of Gwadar.

“Cases have been registered against the accused”, Khetran added. He said the department has also arrested the accused operating the illegal fishing trawlers in Gwadar.

Chief Minister Mir Abdul Quddus Bizenjo had passed strict orders to the Fisheries department to launch a crackdown against the elements involved in illegal fishing and trawling. “Provincial government is determined to end the illegal fishing in Gwadar”, the CM stated in a statement.

Bizenjo said all-out efforts were being made to address the grievances of the masses and fishermen of Gwadar on a priority basis.

Action against illegal trawling and fishing has been one of the main demands of the Gwadar Haq Do Tehreek.

The fisheries department is always ready against illegal trawlers, the fisheries DG said.

The fish, which had disappeared in the marine life, has started to appear again because of the steps taken by the fisheries department, he asserted.

Chief of the Gwadar Rights Movement (GRM) Maulana Hidayat ur Rehman and other activists have been protesting against the illegal fishing and trawling in the port city of Gwadar.

Police arrested the Maulana and a number of activists of the GRM who, according to police, caused damage to public and private property in Gwadar and Pasni. The charges were vehemently denied by the GRM leaders.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 17^th, 2023.