Saturday, October 31, 2009
By Jan Khaskheli
Karachi
The alarming decline in fish catch along the 129-kilometre-long coastal area of Karachi has affected the livelihood of about 80,000 people who are directly involved in fishing.
Shafi Mohammed, a fisherman from Salehabad Island in Keamari, told The News that they have never observed such a decline in the past and they are unable to understand the reason behind this. Mohammed works on a local boat as a crew member. He said that they felt the decline when they started earning less every day, and eventually started returning home empty-handed, “because there seemed to be no more fish in the sea.”
In the past they would catch fish worth thousands of rupees in just one trip, he said.
Another fisherman, Hussain Dablo from Machhi Mayan in Gizri, said that they did not even catch enough fish to bear basic expenditures such as the price of diesel and the ration they take for use in a trip. He said that the fishermen have witnessed this decline since they started new season of fishing in the first week of August this year after the two-month government ban in June and July.
Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum (PFF) spokesman Sami Memon told The News that fisherfolk belonging to Bin Qasim, Keamari, Baldia and Lyari towns and parts of Gizri seashore, who used to stay for weeks in the sea to catch fish, have stopped going there totally, and now rely only upon catching crabs in the sea mud for the survival of their families. They are having a very hard time, he said.
The spokesman added that the survival of these people depends on being able to cope with changes in the sea by altering their fishing practices or switching to alternative livelihoods; otherwise, the communities would suffer economic hardships and displacement.
Memon further said that despite repeated hue and cry of the communities, the authorities concerned have failed to pay any serious attention to them. Now the people are in serious trouble, as their sole source of income is under threat and they have nothing else to do to feed their families. The impact of this situation can be gauged from the increasing suicide incidents within the youth, specially married men.
Moreover Memon said that due to their love with their work these fishermen despite facing horrible implications of droughts, sea storms and cyclones never consider working in factories or construction industry in the mega city of Karachi.
However, there are many factors behind the persistence of substantial poverty in the coastal areas, including lack of access to credit, training in income-generating activities, basic social services and infrastructure.
The fishermen said that the pollution might be one of the major problems, which has not only affected fish catch it is also a permanent threat for the salt industry.
Hundreds of coastal families have been engaged in this particular salt collecting field in the city suburbs. Sewerage water streaming through the backwater sea, near the salt fields, is poisoning the commodity, which might destroy the job of these communities, the said.
Moreover after observing the impacts of climate change on the physical oceanography and the circulation of fish, the senior fishermen forecast these uncertainties could prove to be destructive for the life and livelihood of future generations.
http://thenews.jang.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=206053
Fisherfolk to launch struggle against deep sea trawlers
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
By Jan Khaskheli
Karachi
Fisherfolk from Sindh and Balochistan have decided to initiate a joint struggle against the government-licensed deep sea trawlers that use destructive nets to catch fish, and have sought to apprise the government of the adverse ecological impact of the practices of these trawlers.
This was decided in a meeting between representatives of the Sindh, Balochistan Maheegir Network and Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum (PFF) on Monday. A 50-member delegation from the Balochistan coastal area, led by Strengthening Participatory Organisation (SPO) Regional Manager Ellahi Bakhsh Baloch, had traveled to Karachi to describe the problems faced by fisherfolk of Gwadar, Jewani, Gadani, Dam, Sonmiani, Pasni, Ormara and other areas.
The Baloch coastal communities claimed that their only source of livelihood, fishing, is under threat because of the unfair policies of the government, and the ill-treatment meted out by the marine agencies. The delegation said that while Balochistan contributes more seafood produce than the rest of the country, and the government earns handsome profits by exporting these fish, but Baloch fisherfolk have been deprived of their basic rights.
The delegation said despite the fact that the Balochistan government had banned the use of destructive nets in their coastal area, trawlers continue to function in their waters and their activities are fast depleting fish stocks in Baloch waters.
PFF spokesperson told the meeting that it is the responsibility of the government to stop these destructive trawlers. He said that government officials had given a free hand to foreign investors, who in turn hire trawlers, purchase huge boats and use giant nets. He agreed with the notion that the use of destructive nets is fast wiping out fishing grounds.
He said that PFF activists are struggling to save the source of living of hundreds of families whose livelihoods are tied to the traditional mode of fishing. However, foreign investors have joined the fishing business, and have left little or no room for traditional boat owners to operate.
PFF General Secretary Saeed Baloch assured the Baloch delegation that his organisation would support their cause, and said that the problems faced by them are similar to what fisherfolk in Sindh have to brave. Emphasising the need to initiate a joint struggle to resolve the issue, he said that fisherfolk of Pakistan, especially the marine communities of Sindh and Baluchistan, needed to unite and initiate an effective campaign. He said that the joint initiative would urge the government to implement the fisheries policy in its true spirit, and protect the rights of the fishermen. The meeting also decided to convene a joint convention, possibly in Karachi, in which officials of the fisheries department, legislators and civil society organisations will be invited.
http://thenews.jang.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=204127