Fishermen living on the islands near the Keamari jetty were in a panic on Friday morning, as scores of dead fish washed ashore near the jetty and their residential areas. Local fishermen are heavily dependent on the mori fish, as it is their primary source of food and income.
Affected areas include the Karachi Fisheries Harbour, Keamari jetty and the islands of Baba, Bhit, Salehabad, Manora and Shamspir, confirmed Rafiq Suleman, manager of the Fishermen Cooperative Society (FCS).
Experienced fishermen say that during the high-tide season – which usually starts in April drain water carrying industrial waste seeps into waterways, killing large amounts of marine life.
The FCS has already sent several letters to the authorities of the SITE industrial area, requesting that industrial waste be properly treated before it is dumped in the sea. But despite their assurances, the people who depend on the mori fish are in a panic because of their negligence, he said.
I have received reports from various areas of huge losses of fish, he added.Saeed Baloch, General Secretary of the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum (PFF), explained there were only two types of fish inhabiting these waters mori and khisi. Baloch said that since other fish species did not come close to the harbour, he was unsure of the effects the pollution has had on marine life in deeper waters.
A large number of small-scale fishermen use small boats to catch the mori fish and sell it in local markets for Rs80-100 per kg. This is the primary source of income for local communities, says Baloch.
We are unaware about the scale of losses along Karachi’s 129-km long coast. However, we have observed tons of dead fish near beaches and jetties, which has perturbed the local population, he said.
Dr Yousuf, a local activist and former representative of the island communities, said that this is the first time that such massive losses had been experienced. This is why the local communities have panicked, as they depend on this fish for their livelihood.
People from the community and harbour officials were unable to identify the reason behind the abnormal amount of dead wish; they say the sea has been receiving urban and industrial waste for some time now.
They alleged that this might be a result of an increased volume of toxic chemicals in the waterways. Some experienced fishermen believe that this might have been caused by a recent change of weather in the area. However, no dead fish were seen on the coastlines of the Ibrahim Hyderi, Rehri and Hawkes Bay beaches.
The News International