Struggle Against the Deep Sea Factory Trawlers

Pakistan’s total marine fleet of 22,000 vessels – which includes local boats, mid-sized locally flagged trawlers, and large foreign trawlers – took an estimated total catch of 400,500 tones in 2003. The government claims that not more than 25 licenses have been issued to deep-sea trawlers, but actually more than 50 big trawlers are operating in Pakistani waters. While the government receives money from royalties and licenses from trawlers. The local fisherfolk, however, argue that local fishing communities derive no benefits from the export trade. The combination of illegal, unreported or unregulated fishing, plus weak surveillance and policing of catch fish, has resulted in devastation of livelihood of fisher folk. Consequently, the local fishing communities in Pakistan are being pushed into poverty and are going hungry under pressure from unfair fishing by deep-sea trawlers from China and the Far East. The local Fisherfolk are now put in such poverty that they have to pull their children out of school. While the condition of their health is alarmingly deteriorated due to extreme poverty and resultant increased in psychological unrest among them. Traditional local fishing grounds are being encroached upon by large-scale trawlers under Pakistan’s recent policy of opening up its waters to transnational fleets.

These fully mechanized and automated trawlers continue fishing round the clock during the entire year and catch millions of tons of fish through its 3 kilometers lengthy trawler nets, which are extremely harmful for some fish species. The traditional right of poor coastal communities of Pakistan, to fish and earn a decent living is being violated and they are being forced out of their traditional livelihoods. As a result of deep-sea trawlers’ intensive fishing, (deep-sea fishing trawlers indiscriminately and wantonly catch fish and then dump huge quantities of young, unwanted or dead fish at sea – leaving less fish for locals to catch – and also encroach on Pakistan’s previously exclusive 35-mile traditional coastal fishing grounds.), local Fisherfolk find little or no fish and consequently suffer increased hardship, debt, and hunger.

This case serves as a warning of the dangers of inappropriate trade liberalization. Local communities fish close to the coast with wooden and largely un-mechanized boats and go after a wide variety of species including catfish, ribbon fish, shark, sardine and snapper.

Besides creating pollution, these factory trawlers are also adversely affecting the local fishermen as about 70 to 80 percent of small boats are now useless due to lack of fish in coastal region.

The PFF arranged mobilization and awareness meetings at Fish Harbor Karachi, Rehri Goth, Chashma Goth, Ibrahim Hyderi, Mubarak Village, Tikkri Village and Singho Goth. It also published the relevant Booklet on local languages such as Urdu & Sindhi. It launched movement against the issue of license to these Trawlers. It held advocacy meetings with concerned government departments and decisions makers such as Secretary Fisheries Sindh and Director General Marine Fisheries Department. It sent letters to Government Authorities/Officials also. Protest rally against Deep Sea Trawlers were arranged

PFF also arranged seminar and sought ban on deep-sea trawling. It arranged the exposure visits of journalists for depicting the actual picture of losses caused by these Trawlers. It also arranged the Press conferences on this Issue at Karachi Press Club.