Lack of alternative livelihoods renders fishing ban ineffective

Click here to download Lack of alternative livelihoods renders fishing ban ineffective

KARACHI: In the absence of any alternative livelihood opportunities for fishermen, fishing is likely to continue in the seasonal banned period of June and July this year, background interviews with stakeholders in the fisheries sector showed on Saturday.

It is important to recall here that fishermen have been complaining of a significant decline in fishery resources for the past many years. A major component of the catch relates to shrimps whose catch, according to multiple studies, has dramatically reduced.

The situation, experts suggest, has developed mainly because of three factors — rampant use of harmful nets that catch even the juvenile species, large-size of fishing fleet and continued fishing the whole year.

However, there has been no serious effort on the part of the Sindh government to address these issues for decades.

“The results of this negligence are obvious. Sustainable fishing demands that annually, for a period of time, fishing should be closed in order to encourage growth of certain species. In our case, this has never happened,” said World Wide Fund for Nature-Pakistan (WWF-P) technical adviser on marine resources Mohammad Moazzam Khan.

Click here to download Lack of alternative livelihoods renders fishing ban ineffective