Fishing industry in Pakistan
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The fishing industry plays a significant part in the national economy of Pakistan. With a coastline of about 1,120 km, Pakistan has enough fishery resources that remain to be developed. Most of the population of the coastal areas of Sindh and Balochistan depends on fisheries for livelihood. It is also a major source of export earning.
Fishing industry is managed by the Fisheries Development Commissioner (FDC) under the Ministry Food, Agriculture Livestock (MFAL) of Government of Pakistan. The office of the FDC is responsible for policy, planning and coordination with provincial fisheries departments and other national and international agencies such as Asia-Pacific Fishery Commission. The marine subsector is overlooked by Marine Fisheries Department (MFD).
The Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC) is engaged in the research of the industry. Some universities in the country are also involved in basic fisheries research.
Resources
Pakistan has many marine and inland fishery resources. The potential was estimated at 1 million tonnes/year from the marine subsector alone. The commercially important resources include near 250 demersal fish species, 50 small pelagic fish species, 15 medium-sized pelagic species and 20 large pelagic fish species. In addition, there are also 15 commercial species of shrimp, 12 of cephalopods and 5 of lobster. The effect of the Indus River Delta on the marine resources of the coastline of Sindh is substantial, as this river system has been transporting enormous quantities of nutrients and sediment to the continental shelf for centuries. Pakistan has an extensive inland water areas system, which is mainly dominated by the Indus River. These water bodies, depending on their type, possess varying potential for development of the inland and aquaculture subsectors. Inland water bodies, like dams, water locks, reservoirs, rivers, lakes and ponds cover an area of approximately 8 million hectares.
Marine varieties
The shrimp variety includes the species of
Subsectors
Marine subsector
Pakistan has a
Harbours
Karachi Fish Harbour is the biggest and oldest of its kind in Pakistan, being used by all types of fishing boats. Currently more than 4,000 fishing craft are based in it. At present, it can be assumed that the harbour caters for the needs of near 75 percent of the local fleet.
The major fish harbours of Pakistan are:
- Karachi Fish Harbour handles about 90% of fish and seafood catch in Pakistan and 95% of fish and seafood exports from Pakistan.
- Karachi Fisheries Harbouris being operated by Provincial Government of Sindh.
- Korangi Fish Harbour is being managed by Federal Ministry of Ports & Shipping.
- Pasni Fish Harbour being operated by Provincial Government of Balochistan.
- Gwadar Fish Harbour being operated by Federal Ministry of Communication.
Methods
- Shrimp fishery
The
- Tuna fishery
The fishing of
- Benthic fishery
The deep sea resources remain comparatively unexploited because local vessels are neither suitable nor equipped for deep-water fishery. The idea has motivated entrepreneurs to augment their deep-sea fishing craft for use of the resources. Small-scale benthic or
.- Pelagic fishery
A small-scale
Vessels
As of 2000, the number of docked fishery vessels was near 6,000.[2] The two main types of fishing craft include:
- Mechanized docked boats: There are over 4,000 boats of this kind registered, which constitute shrimp EEZand all their catch is exported.
- Mechanized sailboats: Made of wood and equipped with two or more outboard engines, but generally smaller than docked vessels, they are locally called 'hora' boats. Most of these fibreglass scrapped lifeboats, with an average length of 7–10 m and 22–33 hp engines. These boats are able to function in up to 20 m depth. As of 2006, there are over 2,000 active boats of this kind.
Inland subsector
Freshwater capture fisheries are dominated by the Indus River and its tributaries. The fish fauna of the Indus system in its northern part is cold-water type, while the greater middle and southern parts of the system are warm-water zones. Fisheries in rivers and reservoirs account for more than 80 percent of total inland fish production. The riverine fishery management system is operated mainly by provincial fisheries departments. They enforce regulatory laws that restrict catch by size of fish and establish closed seasons.
Lakes
In the
Aquaculture subsector
Aquaculture (or fish farming) is new in Pakistan. However, there is immense potential for development of the sector. Aquaculture production has rapidly increased since 2000 from around 10-15 thousands tonnes to reach over 100,000 tonnes in 2006 and 2007. Despite its vast fresh, brackish and marine water resources only carp culture is practiced in ponds. In Pakistan, the fish fauna is rich but only seven warm water species and two cold water species are cultivated on a commercial scale. Aquaculture has also received a substantial amount of government investment, and facilities are now in place that can provide the basis for a major future expansion. With the exception of trout culture in the northern regions, virtually all aquaculture consists of pond culture of various carp species.
Freshwater farming
Freshwater carp farming is the major aquaculture activity in
In Sindh, the majority of farms are located in
districts.On a typical carp farm in Pakistan, the ratio of the warm-water species stocked on the farm is
Modern Technologies; Introduction of First In-Pond Raceways System Technology in Pakistan
Lack of awareness of modern aquaculture techniques and floating aquafeed had been the major impediments in development of this sector. After strenuous efforts of FEEDing Pakistan Program (Promoting Aquaculture Sector) of American Soybean Association (ASA) and World Initiative for Human Health (WISHH) funded by United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and implemented by R.S.N. Janjua, Country Representative of ASA/WISHH and C.E., SoyPak, Pvt. Ltd from 2011 for introduction of both floating soy-based feed in Pakistan and tilapia culture with Fisheries Development Board (FDB) in Pakistan (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXgYH9zOolM6PcBjRvJnUgA). Major tangible outcome of this program was establishment of the first extruded aquafeed mill (2013) and tilapia hatchery (2014) in Pakistan which were milestones in history of Aquaculture industry of Pakistan. Since these historic breakthroughs, Aquaculture industry has revolutionized and embracing the modern technologies. In-Pond raceways technology (IPRS) is the most modern strategy in Aquaculture industry which has combined the features and benefits of raceway technology, cage culture, recirculating aquaculture system and pond culture. SoyPak, Pvt. Ltd. (IPRS and Aquaculture consultancy firm in Pakistan) trained human resources from aquaculture industry and academia in IPRS technology and has been closely involved and monitored the recent construction (2019) and operation of first IPRS in Southern Pakistan (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86OQ3NejyW8). Following advantages can be achieved from IPRS technology in Pakistan: (i) Improved fish production (75 – 150 kg/m3), (ii) Reduced production cost per unit of fish production (<30 – 35%), (iii) Improved Feed Conversion (FCR: 1.00 – 1.4) and feeding efficiency, (iv) 100% fish catch rate without discharge of water from pond, (v) Staggered stocking and harvest; culturing different species in different raceways, minimize market prices risk, (vi) Easier fish health management and production operation – minimal use of drugs and chemical to ensure food security, (vii) 70% capture of nutrient in form of feces and use as crop fertilizer, (viii) Zero water discharge for environmental protection and sustainability of natural resources. Water is only added to compensate for evaporative loss or seepage. (xi) Ecofriendly technique, (x) Harvest procedures and cost of labor for fish movement are simplified and significantly reduced, (xi) Efficient provision of animal protein to consumers (https://www.aquaculturealliance.org/advocate/in-pond-raceway-systems-introduced-in-pakistan/?segid=9de135f1-b03d-44c9-8756-3fd00836e892).
Mariculture potential
Coastal aquaculture (or
At present, there is no commercial harvesting or hatchery culture of oysters in country. First cage in sea have been installed in Baluchistan.Recreation subsector
Recreational fishing in Pakistan is usually looked over by the PGFA - Pakistan Game Fish Association. There are three main types of recreational fisheries in Pakistan: billfish and tuna fishing in the
Production
Annual capture
Resources | Biomass | MSY | Production | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Fish | Demersal fish | 500,000 | 213,000 | 175,674 |
Small pelagic fish | 700,000 | 225,000 | 100,000 | |
Large pelagic fish[a] | 80,000 | 43,000 | 47,000 | |
Crustaceans | Shrimps[a] |
88,000 | 18,000 | 18,433 |
Lobster[a] | 8,000 | 2,000 | 600 | |
Crabs | 25,000 | 8,500 | 4,218 | |
Molluscs |
Cephalopods[b] | 30,000 | 11,000 | 5,400 |
Gastropods[b] |
20,000 | 5,000 | 731 | |
Total | 1,451,000 | 525,500 | 352,056 |
Gross national product
The
The fishing industry sector contributes to about 1% to the country's GNP.[5]
Year | 1999-00 | 2000-01 | 2001-02 | 2002-03 | 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
GNP | 15,163 | 16,546 | 16,377 | 16,625 | 16,728 | 17,490 | 30,492 | 42,668 | 52,391 | 53,731 | 56,182 |
Processing
Marine fish is marketed as fresh, frozen, canned, cured, reduced to fishmeal, other purposes, and some retained by fishermen for their own use. The freshwater catch is marketed fresh for local consumption. Out of the total marine fish production, the percentage for human consumption ranged between 65 and 70 percent in 2006. The rest of the catch was used for other purposes, especially reduction to fishmeal.
Fish and shrimp processing is usually divided into mechanical and non-mechanical processing. The mechanical category includes freezing plants, canning, fishmeal plants and fish liver oil extraction plants. In the non-mechanical category there are dried fish, dried shrimp, shark fin, fish maw/stomach, live lobster, live crab and fish roes/ovaries. There are 27 processing plants for the production of frozen products in Pakistan, one for canning and 8 for fishmeal processing. Almost 100 percent of the frozen and canned fishery products are exported, while the bulk of the processed fishmeal is used in the country in the manufacture of poultry feed or fish feed.
Marketing
The marketing chain for fish is similar to that for other agricultural commodities. Products are sold into the market to wholesalers and then onto retailers and end consumers through agents working on a commission basis. Farmed fish tend to be marketed either at the farm gate, through intermediaries or by open auction, where ice-packed fish is sent to fish markets and sold. Buyers of fishery products can be members of the public, retailers, wholesalers and agents for processing plants or exporters.
Prices tend to decline when the fish is more than 3 kg; other factors include freshness of the fish and the supply–demand situation in the market. Local consumers generally prefer freshwater fish over marine fish because of their familiarity with river and inland farmed fish, as well as the fresh condition of the product. This difference is reflected in both wholesale and retail prices, where freshwater fish is sold at a higher price than marine fish.
Consumption
In the world, and hence in Pakistan, fish is considered a cheap source of
Fishery products | Production | Import | Export | Total supply | Per capita supply (kg/year) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
( tonnes )
| |||||
Products for direct human consumption | 611,246 | 2,040 | 151,830 | 326,921 | 2.0 |
Products for animal feed and other purposes | 134,535 | - | - | - | - |
See also
Footnotes
References
- ^ "Fisheries and Aquaculture Department: Country profile - Pakistan" (PDF). fao.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-05-18. Retrieved 25 August 2010.
- ^ a b "Coastal and Marine Ecosystems: Country profile - Pakistan". earthtrends.wri.org. Archived from the original on 24 August 2004. Retrieved 25 August 2010.
- ^ "Mariculture for Pakistan". pakpoint.com. Retrieved 26 August 2010.
- ^ "Federal Bureau of Statistics, National Accounts" (PDF). statpak.gov.pk. Government of Pakistan. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 June 2007. Retrieved 25 August 2010.
- ^ "Fisheries and Aquaculture Department: Country profile - Pakistan". fao.org. Retrieved 25 August 2010.