Retired Admiral Dr Jayanath Colombage of the Sri Lankan Navy has said that there are no unlimited resources in the ocean and, therefore, there is a need to harness them. Speaking at the 7th International Maritime Conference here on Sunday, he said there would be a definite impact of sustainable fisheries management in the Indian Ocean region. Our sea is rich in minerals, seaweed and planktons which help sustain marine life. But a lack of data on the effects of harmful practices by fisherfolk is a big problem. Fishing boats have their own ways of catching different fish in the ocean. But there is a legal framework of management of fisheries that must be followed by all of them, he said, adding that illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing was going on in the Indian Ocean. According Admiral Colombage, greenhouse gases, oil spills, coastal tourism, cables and transmission lines on the seabed were other problems hurting the marine life. Population pressure to get more fish is also a threat as it leads to overfishing and bad fishing practices where seaweed and planktons also get caught up in drift nets. Climate change and global warming and change in salinity are even more harmful as they happen on a very large scale, he said. Dr Yaseen Anwar, former governor of the State Bank of Pakistan, said the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor would enhance the trajectory of urbanisation, adding that the CPEC would encourage migration to this region, which we must be prepared for. Expressing his thoughts on emerging opportunities in the Indian Ocean trade regime’, retired Rear Admiral Pervaiz Asghar stressed the importance of shortened trade routes. Dr Wang Dakui from China stressed the need for having a cooperative mechanism for the Indian Ocean region to deal with environmental hazards and early warning risk assessment. Dr Kamran Nasir, chief executive officer of JS Global Bank, discussed export opportunities for Pakistan arising out of increased maritime connectivity in the western Indian Ocean region, saying CPEC could be a rare game-changer for the country.