Cold and gusty winds reduce fish catch

Cold and gusty winds at sea with short days have significantly reduced winter's fish catch, as vessels have shifted to their nocturnal operations in a bid to maximise the fishing span. Talking to Business Recorder on Tuesday, the scantly covered with warm gears seafarers said that the short days make them to rely more on night time operations with a view to increase the fishing span.
"Catch always comes down in winter because of strong gusty winds and cold weather conditions," said President Sindh Trawlers Owners and Fishermen Association (Stofa), Habibullah Khan Niazi.
The fishermen said the northerly winds, which have yet to take impetus to tear across the coastal belt of Sindh, are still cold enough to cause vessels to cut their catch short to quickly return to moorages.
"Span of fishing operations has increased at seas from 20 to 28 days since the cold weather season has started in the country's coastal parts," Habibullah Niazi said
The seafarers said the Arabian Sea turns into inertia and remains dull for four months, but scales down the catch as marine life plunges into seabed in habitats during the cold.
"Cold waves push fish to seabed dwelling where many of the species remain there all the winter days, making the fishermen sail longer to hunt," said President Native. Islanders Fishermen Association (Nifa), Asif Bhatti.

^{Courtesy Business Recorder       I   News Collated by agrinfobank.com}

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Excessive fishing: seafood exports decline by $2.861 million in October

The year-long excessive fishing caused a big plunge in fish and shrimp catch which is estimated to be about 40 percent lower this year, resulting in seafood export decline by $2.861 million in October this year, exporters said on Saturday. The country''s seafood export stood 8.10 percent lower to $32.449 million in October as compared to the $35.310 million in October last year, Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) said. 
"Overfishing round the year and use of banned nets by fishermen plagued the sea and reduced the seafood crop significantly during August-September period," said Pakistan Fisheries Exporters Association (Pakfea) Chairman Faisal Iftikhar. In terms of volume, the country''s seafood export also suffered a fall of 2,221 metric tons or 15.13 percent to 12,456 tons in October this year as compared to 14,677 tons in October last year, the PBS said.
However, seafood export in July-October 2013-14 increased to $117. 651 million from $98.732 million in the same period 2012-13, depicting a rise of $18.919 million or 16.43 percent. Faisal attributed the decline in catch to continuing fishing activity round the year without any halt to let the sea increase its seafood crop. He termed the fisheries situation "too bad", saying the government has to act to maintain fish and shrimp stocks in its seawaters.
Similarly, in terms of quantity, seafood export moved up to 48,729 tons in July-October this year from 41,851 tons in the same period last year, showing an increase of 6,878 tons or 19.16 percent, the PBS said. Chairman Pakfea said the annual catch at the country''s sea is drastically falling which has its implications when it comes to seafood export. The fall in catch this season is reckoned between 30 percent and 40 percent, which held back the seafood export.
"The government is not interested in understanding the annual decline in seafood catch and the banned nets are widely used in the daily operation on seas," he said, adding that the authorities have to ensure implementation of two months annual fishing ban to help grow fisheries stocks, which are depleting fast.

News Source: Business Recorder      News Collected: agrinfobank.com Team

Outlaws openly obtaining extortion from fishermen, exporters

September 03, 2013

The notorious outlawed clan has largely held the fish harbour businesses hostage while exporters have warned the government of the growing influence of the clan operatives, which may pull down the stagnant seafood export. Talking to Business Recorder on Monday, the exporters have backed the demand of the ANP and MQM for the deployment of army in the city's deeply volatile areas especially the economic and business centres to maintain peace.
During a visit to the fish harbour, a number of stakeholders were found in a grip of fear, accusing, "The outlaws are now officially working to collect extortion from boat owners, exporters and fishermen". They said that the government should undertake a plan to curb chaos and bloodshed so that law and order could be maintained in the city. "We pin hopes on the new federal government for a stable and peaceful Karachi," they said.
An exporter on the condition of anonymity told Business Recorder, "Fishermen Co-operative Society (FCS) has not a single government official on its board of directors, which creates further hardships in protecting the harbour from chaos." "The outlaws are the part of a legal administration at the harbour, using their mandate to pile up money from the stakeholders," he said, adding that the FCS board should have government officials to provide confidence to fisheries stakeholders for addressing their concerns.
The country's seafood export stood rather stagnant, he said, adding that there was a fear that the fisheries sector might face reduction in its global trade because of the growing influence of outlaws at the harbour. "There is a hope that the federal government will help the city restore peace unlike the provincial government which fosters the outlaws with political support," he alleged.
The seafood exporters said the federal government should deploy armed forces in the city to undertake "an effective and stern" crackdown on the outlaws indiscriminately to establish durable peace. The city has been going through the worst kind of violence for the last many years, causing huge losses to businesses and trade, he said. Traders have also demanded of the government to establish its writ through a quick and effective action against the criminals to bring back peace to the city. They, however, asked the government to launch a military operation in the metropolis.

Source

1st seafood consignment to EU

Friday, 26 July 2013

Zubair Ahmed Malik, President of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry has expressed pleasure on the clearance of the first export consignment of Pakistani seafood to the European Union after a lapse of six years, which is a positive sign for the export of shrimp and fish products from Pakistan. Zubair Ahmed Malik said that he expected that the removal of the ban would have a significant impact on Pakistan's exports of seafood to the European Union, and other premium markets. He congratulated the two companies which had received clearance from EU for their consignments and hoped that other seafood suppliers would also receive clearance for their produce in the imminent future.-PR

Source: Business Recorder

New fisheries minister faces major challenges

Saturday, July 20, 2013

The challenges of fisheries sector are aggravating for the lack of official priority to settle them on a permanent basis, as the hostile environment is all set to test the new fisheries minister's abilities to deal with the unattended problems. The former Sindh Fisheries Minister, Zahid Ali Bhurgari left behind a number of key environmental and administrative problems for his successor Jam Khan Shoro to deal with them. The new minister has to take a number of strict measures at first to streamline the operations at the most irregular sector. "The issue of unabated landing of trash fish and shrimp at fish harbour, the use of destructive nets, fishing in Balochistan waters, FCS lease, drugs and other illegal activities, implementation of master plan etc are the major challenges which the new minister will have to deal with," fisheries official said.
The government has fixed minimum mesh size for fish and shrimp catch but the fisheries department failed to implement it to avoid growing trash landing of seafood. The destructive nets have been banned in Sindh coast but are being openly used by the strong boat owners in deep sea and sea-lords in creeks, officials added.
Several fishermen were injured and one of them was killed by Balochistan levies inside the provincial waters, officials said, adding that the new minister will have to negotiate with his counterpart to end the violence against his province fishermen. At the fish harbor drugs and other illegal activities like theft continue in the face of authorities, they said, adding the outlaws have to be brought to justice to make the fish harbor a peaceful and conducive seafood business center
There is also an issue of leasing plots to fishermen co-operative society, which dues have grown phenomenally for the last several years. The minister will have to press the FCS to recover the dues. The bigger challenge for Jam Khan Shoro will be the implementation of master plan to develop the fish harbor on modern lines. The evacuation of unauthorised businesses for the harbour and leasing of plots on merit to interested firms, he has to do to make headway for enforcement of master plan.

Source: Business Recorder

Fisheries minister urges stakeholders to augment seafood export

July 18, 2013

Newly appointed Sindh Fisheries Minister Jam Khan Shoro on Wednesday urged the fisheries stakeholders to make untiring efforts to augment the seafood export from existing over $300 million.

Officials of Karachi Fish Harbour Authority (KFHA) told Business Recorder that the new provincial minister paid his maiden visit to the fish harbour to attend briefing on the seafood export and other fisheries related matters. 

"Concrete efforts should be made to increase the seafood export," the officials cited the minister as saying. The minister was of the view that the country's seafood export sector has the potential to earn a substantial foreign exchange. The minister appreciated the KFHA for its efforts to help lift the EU ban from the country's seafood export, saying the authority had played a good role to address the EU issue. 

Director Operation, KFHA, Anis Soomro apprised the visiting minister as how the authority functions and its efforts to improve the fish harbour activities. He said KFHA financed modification of 539 boats under the ADP scheme to meet the EU condition, adding the authority also procured machinery and equipment for proper handling and transportation of seafood catch in line with the global specifications. 

KFHA Managing Director Dr Kazim Hussain Jatoi informed the minister that the harbour functioned on modern lines with a professional approach to handle seafood catch. He said the country's largest fish harbour would have a significant development in near future, as implementation on master plan for the port was under way. The minister inspected the auction halls and landing jetties and other harbour facilities.

Source: Business Recorder

Pakistan Seafood exports Up

Exports of fish and fish preparations witnessed increase of 2.48 percent during the first eight months of the current fiscal year as compared to the corresponding period of last year.

Overall exports of fish and fish preparations were recorded at $199.949 million during July-February (2012-13) against the exports of $195.119 million during July-February (2011-12), according to data of Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).

In terms of quantity, the seafood exports expanded by 12 percent during the period under review, the data revealed.

As much as 87,376 metric tons of seafood was exported during the first eight months of the current year against the exports of 78,029 metric tons during the corresponding period of last year.

Meanwhile, seafood exports during February 2013 decreased by 5.89 percent and 15.46 percent when compared to the exports of February 2012 and January 2013 respectively.

The exports of fish and fish preparations in February 2013 were recorded at $19.731 million against the exports of $20.965 million in February 2012 and $23.240 million in January 2013.

In terms of quantity, the seafood exports in February 2013 decreased by 10.63 percent and 15.79 percent when compared to the exports of February 2012 and January 2013 respectively. 
Source: http://pakobserver.net

LDFA expo lacks enthusiasm

Perilous law and order situation in Karachi has hit the third edition of Livestock, Dairy, Fisheries & Agriculture (LDFA), 2013 exhibition that lacked usual enthusiasm. Uncertain situation of the city had pushed the Sindh Board of Investment (SBI) to a state of utter confusion in organising this mega event. Resultantly, the spirit, which was witnessed in past two exhibitions, was missing in LDFA, 2013 on Saturday.

Despite claiming to have doubled the number of stalls to 500 in LDFA, 2013, exhibitors have not made any special arrangements to attract the visitors. In the last exhibition, exhibitors had displayed milk processing plant and some other processing units related to agriculture but now they are keen to grab the attention of masses through leaflets. Some of the exhibitors while talking to this correspondent said the SBI, which has been working on the arrangements of this mega event for last two months, has finalised its plan just a couple of days before the exhibition.

Therefore, the exhibitors, who were worried about the prospect of the exhibition, did not get enough time for finalising the required arrangements. Similarly, the display area of livestock is not impressive as only a few big vendors of livestock are participating in the event.

An official in SBI, who did not want to be named, said arrangements of LDFA, which is a brainchild of Motiwala and former investment secretary, Muhammad Younus Dagha, were not up to the mark, due to the newly appointed high-ups in SBI, fisheries and livestock departments.

According to SBI Chairman Zubair Motiwala, main objective of the event is to uplift the life of rural population by bringing urban investments into livestock, dairy, fisheries & agriculture sectors. However, Secretary, Livestock and Fisheries Syed Abid Ali Shah and Secretary, Agriculture Aga Jan Akhtar were unable to attend the inaugural ceremony that kicked off at noon because of late arrival by acting Governor and Speaker Sindh Assembly Nisar Khoro. 
Source: http://www.brecorder.com/