SIR ADNAN QURESHI PAKISTAN STUDIES-GEOGRAPHY-CHAPTER 6___________________

CHAPTER 6: FISHING INDUSTRY

Fishing Industry contributes as 6% of total exports of Pakistan. It provides employment to a big

population of coastal Sindh and Balochistan and rural population in all provinces. About 31.6% are
engaged in marine fishing and 68.4% in inland fishing out of the total population in this industry.

METHODS OF FISHING:

1. MARINE FISHING: Pakistan has a total coast line of 900 kilometres stretching from the Run of
Kutch (Southern Thatta) in Sindh to Jiwani in Balochistan. About 30% coast is with Sindh and
70% is with Balochistan. About 68% of the total fish is caught from Sindh and 32% from
Balochistan mainly due to modern methods of fishing and better use of technology. Sindh
fishermen have better ice storage facilities, refrigeration plants and modern fish curing yards.

a. Subsistence Fishing: when fishing is done mainly for getting food. The whole family is involved in
this industry as conventional traditional methods are followed with small wooden sail boats are
used. The boats can sail up to 5 km in the sea.

b. In commercial Fishing: when fish is sold as a sole source of the income of the fishermen. Karachi and
Gwadar are the two main commercial fishing centres. Sindh coast has numerous creeks, sheltered
harbours and a wide shallow sea beyond. It also has a wider continental shelf with Indus delta is rich
in fish food. The gill-netters and mechanized boats can go up to 50-60 km in deep sea.
Types of Marine Fish:

• Sharks
• Croakers
• Skates
• Drums
• Cat fish
• Rays

2. INLAND FISHING: this kind of fishing is more commonly practiced in rivers, dam reservoirs, irrigation
canals, lakes and fish farms built in Sindh, Punjab and some areas of KPK where water sources are
available. The fish caught from it is good at taste and has a high local and international demand.

Types of Inland Fish:

• Tuna
• Manaseer
• Rahu
• Palla
• Thalla
• Grass
• Silver (Carp)

Fish Farms: Fish farms are rectangular man made ponds for breeding for fish. They have cemented or
mud boundary to avoid water loss and trees are grown to provide shade and leaves as food. Different
ponds are made to get more quantity of fish. The main centres for inland fish farms are:

• Manchhar Lake in Dadu

• Kenjhar Lake in Thatta
• Haleji Lake in Thatta
• Reservoirs of Mangla and Tarbela dams
• River Indus at Sukkur, Kotri and Thatta.
Government’s role in developing Fisheries:

• Introduction of new fishing methods.

• Developing frozen or canned fish as value-added products.
• Providing weather update to fishermen.
• Bringing awareness on fishing seasons to promote sustainable fishing.
• ‘Marine Fisheries Department (MFD) was established to ensure monitoring of deep sea fishing
vessels and Quality Control Laboratories.

Fish Marketing: Pakistan’s 30% fish is exported to around 30 countries of the world. Fish, shrimps and
other fish products have a local market also. The fresh fish is sold by hawkers and sellers in market.
Whereas some fish is processed and kept in ice factories which later is exported to Japan, USA, France
and other countries. 80% of Balochistan’s fish is sun dried and then exported to the Middle East. The
local demand of Pakistan is 1.6 Kilogram per year as compared to European market with 20 kilograms
per year.

With development of better ice storage facilities and better processing plants, the market has got a
huge scope of further development.

Socio-economic Benefits of Fish Farming:

• Greater return of fish and income to fishermen to raise their standard of living.
• Many unemployed people can find their jobs in this profession directly or indirectly.
• Better use of technology and upgrading of skills will ensure increased fish farming.
• More markets can be searched internationally to earn more foreign exchange.

Fish Farming effects on Environment:

• Eco system is badly affected when the fish is caught, it disturbs the balance of vegetation, climate
and other animals.
• Land based farms bring ecological changes in the environment and thus the land is unsuitable for
cultivation.
• The coastal wetlands provide nutrients to marshy lands animals. When these areas are converted as
fish farms, it affects general marine ecosystem.
• Chemicals used for disinfecting and controlling diseases, pests and predators have an adverse effect
on other organisms in the environment.
PROBLEMS OF THE FISHING INDUSTRY:

• With more urbanization and education, the new generation is likely to join other profession as this
industry is likely to develop at a slower speed.
• Water pollution is the most important factor that affects the fish catch as many of the species are
getting extinct or are endangered.
• Numerous chemicals having carcinogenic qualities have been found in fish, lobsters, prawn and
crabs which affect human health.
• With the increasing industrial growth and growing population, more water is utilized thus less water
is left for inland fishing.
• The government has ignored the skill and training of fishermen therefore many fishermen still rely
on conventional methods of fishing.
• Fishermen go for fishing in the breeding season. They also catch fish with illegal nets and deep sea
trawlers which result in Over-fishing.
• Mangrove forests have been under threat of being extinct. They are the breeding nurseries for fish
and shrimps. With more forest being cut down less number of fish caught every year.
SUSTAINABLE FISHERIES: means that fisheries should be developed in the most balanced way in order
to increase the food production for the present generation and to ensure that fish populations remain
viable, productive and accessible to future generations.

Prepared and Compiled by:

Sir Adnan Qureshi

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adnanqureshi8096@gmail.com

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