Troubled waters

April 26 - May 02, 2013 - Vol. XXV, No. 11 | The Friday Times

The resumption of seafood exports is not going to bring too many economic benefits either to the fishermen or the country because of poor landings of shrimp and timeless sporadic landings of cephalopods. The whole fisheries management suffers from lack of planning and control.

Fishermen are exploited by unlicensed agents who are free to conduct their illegal businesses at the harbor. They openly rob the fisherman cooperative society of their rightful commission and do not pay their taxes. It is these rogue elements who ruin fish quality before it is processed, by mishandling, mixing, and adulterating the catches. Unless these scavengers are thrown out of the harbor, the product quality will not meet export standards.

Local fish prices are already sky high and in some cases even higher than export prices. Cultured shrimp and other fish serve 50 percent of the world fish needs. Aquaculture is growing worldwide at the rate of 8 percent per annum. World markets are flooded with low-priced cultured prawns and fish, but no measures have been taken in our country towards this goal.

Our oceans have already run out of their natural wild marine stocks and there is no hope of replenishing them through strategic fisheries planning and control. Prime varieties of fish and shrimp have already become extinct and only the left over varieties of shoal fish, which were once not even exportable, are being caught ruthlessly only to be sold for peanuts to cheap buyers.

It is unlikely that EU would pay us export prices that match those paid to India. It can be assumed that it will buy from Pakistan only select fillers that it cannot get from our competitors India and Bangladesh.

Mazhar Butt,