March 22: The Pakistani coast is spread over 1050 km including approximately 350km in Sindh and 700 km in Balochistan province. It is rich in marine resources and provides means of livelihood for more than two million people mainly through fishing business.

The fisheries sector not only caters to local market needs but also generates substantial revenue through exports. In 2002 Pakistan's export income from fishery products was nearly Rs8 billion.

Unfortunately, this vital sector is facing various threats from shrinking fresh water inflows from Indus River, fast vanishing mangrove ecosystem, unsustainable fish harvest and the increasing pollution of the municipal waste from Karachi.

Fish being the mainstay of the coastal communities, their survival is exposed to various threats. Declining fresh water flow to Indus delta and resulting loss of mangrove ecosystem have badly damaged the breeding habitat of fish and shrimp. The situation has worsened by widespread use of illegal nets and the deep sea fishing policy.

Under the deep sea fishing policy framed in 1995 and amended in 2001, large trawlers have been allowed to operate 12 nautical miles off coast, which previously ranged to 35 nautical miles. The amended policy has exposed the 23 nautical miles virgin strip for fishing which was previously under relatively sustainable community-based harvest.

The current policy is in sharp contrast to the declaration of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in 1976, which, for the purposes of fish exploitation, extended its jurisdiction up to 200 nautical miles from the coastline and added about 250,000 square km to its territory.

To harvest the fishery resources of the EEZ, industrial fishing started in 1982. A set of policies has since been tried. However, under the pressure of the international 'big-trawler mafia' the government took an imprudent turn and made sweeping amendments in the policy in 2001 exposing fragile coastal fisheries to new perils.

Under the policy, the marine area from the coastline has been divided into three zones: Zone-I (between 0 and 12 nautical miles); Zone-II (between 12 and 35 nautical miles) and Zone-III (between 35 and 200 nautical miles).

The fishing rights in Zone-1 have been reserved for traditional small-scale fishermen of Sindh and Balochistan who can operate their boats/vessels in this area.

Zone-II has been reserved for medium-size trawlers ranging from 100-250 GRT. In Zone-III fishing has been allowed by bigger vessels (300-500 GRT) under a license from the ministry of food, agriculture and livestock.

Hence Zone-II, which was previously under relatively sustainable fishing by traditional fishermen has now been opened for the medium-size trawlers. The technological and capital requirements for operating in this zone virtually close the doors for small traditional fishermen, depriving them from their vital source of livelihood.

Access to new coastal corridors for industrial fishing has made fishermen communities more vulnerable. Their limited technique and capital cannot compete with multi-millionaire investors, who become eligible for virtually unbridled fish harvesting within 12-35 nautical miles and beyond.

Being politically and socially marginalized, poor fisher folk were never consulted on policy matters and no measures were taken to safeguard their ancestral rights of fishing in the sea.

Community meetings were organized by NGOs including Shirkat Gah at various locations along the Sindh and Balochistan coast. Oxfam and WWF-Pakistan also helped organize such meetings at their projects sites.

The consultation meetings were held locations as listed below: Sindh: Rehri village Ibrahim Hyderi village, Badin, Baba Island, Shams Pir, Khada Market, Karachi and Keti Bunder.

Balochistan: Ormarah, Sonmiani, Dam Bunder, Bhira village, Kamlat Khor, Pasni and Gawadar.

Issues and concerns: The major issues and concerns highlighted by the participants were as follows:

* policies pertaining to their livelihood are being developed without their consultation, which is a breach of fundamental citizen rights;

* unfair policies are arbitrarily enforced often in violation of rights of the fishing communities through the writ of state machinery;

* such policies are bound to eliminate natural resources and increase socio-economic vulnerability;

* fish and shrimp stock is already under stress due to reduced river inflows. Allowing bigger trawlers near the coastline will worsen the situation and deprive communities from even their residual catch;

* allowing big trawlers closer to the coast will push fishermen to shallow water creeks, compelling them to use fine nets to catch the residual small-size fish. This practice is already rampant;* big trawlers do not care for size and choice of species and thus cause threat to marine bio-diversity at the coast;

* big trawlers do not operate in an environment-friendly manner. Toxic releases and huge waste from these trawlers make their way to the sea and thus causing marine pollution;

* industrial fishing proprietors are market bigwigs and the poor regulation machinery often succumbs to their bribery or power;

* modern technology of foreign trawlers will outshine ages-old traditional techniques of local fishermen. These high-tech players will easily develop their grip over local markets, leaving hardly any space for the local fishermen to earn their livelihood.

* earlier promised facilities such as credit were never extended to small fishermen. Only few influential people benefited from these facilities.

Recommendations: * the zoning system for deep-sea fishing should be abolished and the licenses issued to large trawlers be revoked since any policy permitting over exploitation of marine resources violate the Convention on Biological Diversity, signed by Pakistan in 1992.

* Instead of the deep-sea fishing policy, a more comprehensive policy should be developed in consultation with relevant stakeholders, mainly the fishermen. Such a policy should incorporate the aspect of natural balance of the marine ecosystem. Fishermen's participation in policy framing and its execution be made obligatory since they posses wealth of traditional wisdom about the marine life.

* Under the law of land, the management of zone-I and 11 (as designated in the amended policy) falls under the jurisdiction of the federal government, rendering provincial governments powerless in managing coastal affairs.

This arrangement is not only repugnant to the spirit of the ongoing devolution process but also a breach of provincial right over their natural resources. It also results in complicated administrative systems. For effective management of marine resources, coastal management should be transferred to the concerned provinces.

* an independent assessment of the impacts caused by past and existing polices be carried out to estimate the extent of livelihood loss caused to small fishermen and damage done to marine resources;

* big trawlers should not be allowed to operate in the sea. In order to ensure proper harvesting of the zone, capacity of small fishermen should be enhanced by providing credit and other facilities;

* a special "small fishermen support cell" should be set up to enhance communication and information sharing between government organizations and the fishing community. The cell should also provide information to small fishermen regarding market trends, rates and needs leading to improve incomes for the small fishermen.

* a "fisheries development bank" be established to estate a dedicated credit line for small fishermen on easy terms. The poor credit recovery of the ADB in the past should not be used as an excuse to restrict credit for small fishermen because this bank's credit process was inconsistent with the fisheries sector needs and might have been also caused due to widespread corruption in the credit institutions;

* a market reforms package should be introduced to safeguard indigenous rights of fishermen communities;

* companies should be barred from directly purchasing fish through their agents. These agents exploit small fishermen by manipulating rates in the market thus depriving them from deserving returns. The market regulation process should be streamlined to safeguard economic interests of small fishermen.

* big trawlers have been continuously violating the existing regulations. They are also a source of marine pollution. However due to various reasons, the control function is not carried out. In order to make watch and ward system effective, capacity building measures should also be taken.

* fishermen cooperative societies have been importing fishing equipments such as nets, boat engines etc on duty- free basis. However the government later abolished the duty free facility, which resulted in ascending costs and descending quality. It is recommended that the duty free import facility of the equipment should be restored and quality controls may be improved.

It would be pertinent to suggest that people at the helm of affairs should listen to the voice of common folk and streamline their policies according tot he needs and aspirations of people and not a handful of influential individuals.

The DAWN