FISHING IN PAKISTAN

Introduction
Fishing is one of the oldest
occupations for people who live near
lakes, rivers and seas; with the
progress of civilization, fishing
communities started breeding fishes
on farms this is also known as
aquaculture.
The fishing industry of Pakistan
has the potential for further
developments. Although its share of
the GDP currently is 0.9%, Pakistan
earns 6% of its total foreign
exchange earnings by exporting
fishes, shrimps and other fish
products. The total number of
employed in fishing is 3,61,000.
FISHING AREAS &
METHODS
AREAS OF FISHING
• AREAS OF INLAND FISHING
• Manchar lake, Simli Dam, Rawal Dam
• Keenjar Lake as well as Haleji in Sindh
• Mangla and Tarbella Dam
• River Indus and other rivers
• Fish farms
• Marine Fishing is done in open sea, both in Pakistani as well as
international waters.

• In other countries sustainable fishing in open sea is done. This needs

to be done so fish production can increase and we take advantage of
our 1000km long coastline. While in fresh water its done in fish farms
to breed commonly eaten species.
 Marine Fishing
Pakistan has a coastline
divided into the Sindh (30%)
and the Mekran (70%) coasts.
Karachi and Mekran are the
most important fishing ports
and are being developed by
the Govt. of Pakistan as a
fishing centre by providing
improved facilities such as an
ice-factory, refrigeration
plants and modern fish curing
yards.
There are two types of marine fishing:
1. SUBSISTENCE FISHING is 2. COMMERCIAL FISHING is
when the fisherman & his when the fishermen sell their
family consume the fish they catch to earn money and is
catch . Subsistence fishermen their sole source to earn
use conventional techniques income. Here fishermen use
like a traditional net and a gill-netters and mechanized
small wooden sail boat. boats.
CONTINENTAL SHELF/SLOPE
• Continental shelf…..by far the
largest share of the world's
most
productive fishing groundsThe
y provide shelter, feeding,
spawning and nursery grounds
for thousands of species,
including commercial fish.

• Continental Shelf is longer in

Sindh compared to
Balochistan. It is easy to catch
fish in shallow waters
SINDH COAST VS MAKKRAN COAST
• Sindh has a huge market in
Karachi as well as
Hyderabad, while
Balochistan has negligible
local market, so fishermen
usually do subsistence fishing
while living on the shores.
• The Indus River Delta, the
largest dry-land mangrove
forest in the world and
numerous inland water
bodies
SINDH COAST VS BALOCHISTAN COAST

• Sindh has electricity and • Fishermen in Balochistan

therefore ice factories are have wooden boats as they
there while Balochistan fish are poor so could hardly dare
harbours do not, catch must go far into the sea like the
be sold fresh as soon as fishermen in Sindh who own
possible. both gill netters as well as
trawlers
• Catch caught in Balochistan
is mostly crabs, lobsters etc
which are caught near sea
shore which is than exported
MODREN FISHING
METHODS
TRAWLERS
• The trawler boats allow deep sea
fishing in international waters
and are equipped with cold
storage.

• Large fuel capacity allowing

them to go into the sea for days

• GPS and radio to help navigate

into the international waters as
well as sonar radar to locate fish.
• Mechanized nets to lift heavy
load.

Trawls are fishing nets that are pulled

along the bottom of the sea or in
midwater at a specified depth
 GILL NETTERS

• Modern gillnets are most often made of

monofilament mesh, which makes them
invisible to the fish, and are set on the
surface or sunk below the surface
depending on the fishery.
• Gill netters are smaller than trawlers and
usually fish in shallow waters of the
continental shelf.

• Gill nets which are huge nets in length and

allow fish to enter but block the way out.

• Mechanized system to lift nets out of water.

FISH HARBOUR
• The role of the fishing harbour is to
provide facilities needed between
catching the fish and eating the fish.

• HANDLING AND PROCESSING

CATCH
• SELLING FRESH AND
PROCESSED FISH
• BOAT BUILDING AND
MAINTAINENCE
• FISH GEAR MANUFACTURING

• DEEP WATER LANDING

• QUICKER UNLOADING OF
TRAWLERS
Types of marine fish catch
• Sharks
• Drums
• Croakers
• Cat fish
• Skates
• Rays
 Inland Fishing
Inland fishing is practiced on almost
all the rivers and lakes in the country.
In addition the large reservoirs behind
dams, or abandoned river or
irrigational channels.
The main fishing centers are:
 Manchar lake.
 Kairi (Keenjhar) lake
 Haleji lake.
 Reservoirs of Mangla and Tarbela
dams.
 River Indus at Sukkur, Kotri and
Thatta.
 INLAND FISHING METHODS
• BOATS
• Inland fishing can be easily done with wooden boats made
locally and powered with small motors or even oars. As
rivers are narrow and not very deep.
• Boats are not required on man made ponds as it can be
done with help of nets easily by standing on sides of ponds.
• NETS
• Like boats nets are also made locally with indigenous
material and can be repaired easily by fishermen
themselves as fishermen are poor and catch is limited.
• STORAGE
• The market is for fresh fish so rarely frozen also because
there are no facilities and ice costs money.
• Local hawkers sell the fish mostly fresh locally but,
keeping fish in ice when selling in areas away from where
caught.
• The government has not made any facility or market to
encourage fishing inland.
• The fish farms too sell fresh fish even government owned
like trout farms.
Types of Inland or Fresh Water Fish

• Manaseer
• Rahu
• Palla
• Trout
• Thalla
• Grass and Silver
(bred Chinese
species)
FISH FARMS
FRESH AND MARINE FARMS
FISH FARMING
• Fish farms are man made ponds for
breeding fish to sell on commercial
scale.
• FISH POND CONSTRUCTION
• Concrete or cemented base of the
pond to avoid seepage of water
• Sides of ponds are made with
solidified mud.
• Trees are planted on sides of pond to
provide shade reducing evaporation
and reduce intense heat.
• The pond needs water in large
quantity so are made close to small
dams, or irrigational canals etc.
Mostly along the Rivers
FISH FARMS
• Prepare ponds / half fill for insects
• Hatch eggs / buy smelt (small fishes) /
breeding
• Of single species / improved type of
stock
• (Regular) feeding (with poultry
waste)
• Health care / regular checks
• Top up ponds / check water levels
clean water
• Transfer between ponds by size
• Catch fully grown fish / fish of
market size using nets
• The fish farmer has to take care of
food, medicine and breeding
requirements.
• Usually there are a number of ponds
based on age of group of fish whether
they are ready for sale.
• They use animal waste like poultry
droppings to provide fertilize the fish
pond and nutrients help in growth of
fish.
• The animal waste helps plankton
growth in ponds which are food for
fish.
• Fish waste is used as poultry feed so
farmer can earn more by also doing
poultry farming on the same area as
it needs less space.
BIOFLOC….. INTENSIVE FISH
FARMING
• Biofloc fish farming. ... • .
BFT is a sustainable and
environmentally-friendly
process of aquaculture that
controls water quality and
harmful pathogens along
with providing value-added
creation of the microbial
protein feed for the
aquatic farm structure
FISH PRESERVATION
• Once on the port or
harbors there are •Salted as well as ice packet
canning Industry which to avoid them from being
either makes frozen food rotten.
out of fish and some •Big freezers within boat
which can them.
allow them time to stay in
• Fish oil is extracted sea.
when fish is processed •Ice factory exist on the
by food industry.
ports or harbors.
SUSTAINABLE FISHING
THE FUTURE
SUSTAINABLE FISHING
• Fulfill present needs and at the • Control over fishing especially
same time ensure fish are there endangered species must be
for future generation requires protected by banning or
methods that will increase fish controlled fish permits.
production but with minimum • protection to mangrove so
damage to both fish and environment for breeding of
environment. new fish is safe
• Educating fishermen about
fishing and how they must
understand the damage they do
and how they benefit if fish
number increases in water.
SUSTAINABLE FISHING
• Fish markets to benefit fisherman so he is paid well and less
fish is wasted, by better handling.
• Fish being preserved in cans and ice helps to ensure no
wastage of already caught fish.
• Ban on nets which badly affect fish in open sea. killing
turtles etc
• Ensuring fish catch is done without almost ending the fish
species e.g Japan has endangered Whales.
• Ensuring that other species which are in the se re not
harmed e.g. sea turtles which get caught in nets
FISH MARKETING
 Fish Marketing
Pakistan has a domestic and an international market for fish,
shrimps and fish products. At the domestic level the catch from
marine fisheries is supplied to the local fish markets, frozen or
processed fish is supplied to only a few large departmental
stores in some cities. The per capita consumption is only 1.6 kg
p.a.
On the international level Pakistan has a market for fish and
fish products. About 30% of the total fish catch is exported to
30 countries of the world, Japan is our main market with USA,
France and Germany following. About 80% of the total fish
catch of Mekran Coast is dried for export to the Middle East.
Pakistan earns more then 6% of its foreign exchange by
exporting fish and fish products.
 Problems of the Fishing Industry.
• WATER POLLUTION
The main fishing harbor of Pakistan, Karachi
is severely affected by a variety of
pollutants. Spillage of oil from huge tankers
and domestic and industrial waste are
causing great harm to our fishing industry.
Extensive use of chemical fertilizers and
pesticides in agriculture is another source of
water pollution.
SOLUTION:
A system of waste disposal needs to be
developed so that the pollutants do not enter
the river and the seas.
• OVER FISHING
Another problem associated
to the fishing industry is the
over fishing of shrimps
throughout the year even in the
breeding season. This limits the
production of fishes and
shrimps.
SOLUTION:
The local government should
restrict fishing activities during
breeding seasons.
• THREAT TO MANGROVES
Mangroves act as a barrier and
protect the coastlines from high and
low tide. The mangroves that are a
breeding grounds for fishes and
shrimps cannot thrive well in
polluted water.
SOLUTION:
To control pollution, an efficient
disposal mechanism needs to be
enforced. In this matter the
government should facilitate the
import of machinery for treating
industrial waste.
 STEPS TAKEN BY THE GOVERNMENT
Sindh government has taken initiatives to launch fifteen development
schemes for growth of shrimp, prawns and other projects for the welfare of
local fishermen worth Rs 1.3 billion. The progress on five schemes is
underway and these would be completed within three to five years, said
Anwarul Islam, Director Fisheries Sindh (Research and Development), at a
press conference held here on Tuesday.

He said the fishing industry had been neglected by the previous government
while for the first time the present regime has initiated to upgrade the fishing
sector and to encourage the local fishermen and also to provide them
required facilities
 STEPS TAKEN BY THE GOVERNMENT
.

Providing the details about the projects he said that, the provincial government
is financing in thirteen schemes while the federal government is providing
financial assistance in one project called ‘Master Plan development
Aquaculture and Shrimp Farming Project, cost Rs 2.00 billion, similarly the
other project of community development is being executed by Sindh Costal
Development Authority (SCDA) in the collaboration with Asian
Development Bank (ADB).
FISH INDUSTRY
FUTURE POTENTIAL
BENEFITS OF FISH INDUSTRY
• Exports earn foreign exchange which we need in order to
avoid deficit in Balance of Payments.
• Jobs are created on fish farms, fish hawkers, loaders,
transporters etc. all those involved from catching till the
market.
• Subsistence fishing allows fishermen to provide healthy food
to their family, proteins which they otherwise could not
afford.
• Fishing industry with more canning, processed food can add
more value to our exports, so new jobs and more money can
be earned.
PROBLEMS OF FISHING INDUSTRY
• Over fishing. This is mostly inland fishing problem where
polluted water and bad fishing techniques have greatly
reduced fish in water.
• Overfishing of trout has greatly reduced its number in
rivers
• Mangroves are dying, they provide shelter and protection as
well as food. The breeding is naturally done by fish but
reduced water and pollution has killed both fish and trees.
• The ships at port with oil leakage and rusting of iron have
also affected fish close to the ports.
PROBLEMS OF FISHING INDUSTRY
• Use of fertilizers in farming, and industrial waste
being dumped in rivers has also reduced fish over all.
• Lack of hygienic requirements for exports are ignored
• Overall shortage of electricity a must for ice and cold
storage facilities at ports and harbors. In case of
Baluchistan there are many areas without electricity at
all. So fish is consumed which could have been sold.