Pakistan exported 130,358 metric tons of fisheries products worth $367 million during the financial year 2015-16, it is learnt. According to official documents of Ministry of Ports and Shipping during the aforementioned year, Pakistan’s total fish production stood at 788,000 metric tons of which marine sector contribution remained 493,000 metric tons and inland sector’s fisheries products at 295,000 metric tons. Fisheries sector contribution to national economy is approximately one percent of the GDP and it provides employment to 505,623 people, the document said. According to the document, Pakistani fishermen have a total of 17,889 fishing vessels of which Sindhi fishermen own 8,920 vessels which include 2,412 trawlers, 1,496 gill-netters and 5,012 small fishing boats. The fishermen of Balochistan have 8,969 fishing vessels which include 1,963 gillnetters and 7,006 small fishing boats. The document citing a report on Fisheries Resources Appraisal Project of Pakistan (FRAPP), conducted by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) from 2008-15, has depicted a sharp depletion in the fisheries resources and stocks due to over fishing in Pakistan. “The FAO study of stock assessment reveals that all of Pakistan’s currently exploited resources are significantly-to-severely over fished. Stocks are all below economically optimal levels and many are depleted to a dangerous extent up to 50 to 70 percent. The stock assessment indicates a need to reduce fishing effort by 50 percent to rebuild most of the stocks,” it added. According to the document, the country’s seafood sector is facing a number of issues due to involvement of a number of federal departments and ministries. Three federal ministries i.e. Ministry of Port & Shipping, Ministry of National Food Security & Research, and Ministry of Commerce are dealing with the fisheries related issues. The document stated that the draft policy on fisheries formulated since May 9, 2016 has not yet been finalised due to disagreement of respective provincial governments on the basis of the tenet of the policy i.e. the constitutional jurisdiction of the federal government to regulate deep sea fishing.
2016 Business Recorder