FISHING INDUSTRY
Catching fish (rivers / lakes / ponds / sea / ocean) for business called FISHING INDUSTRY.
MARINE FISHING
Fishing related to Sea or Ocean / Catching of fish from Sea / Ocean.
INLAND / FRESH WARM WATER FISHING
Fishing related to Rivers, Lakes and ponds / Catching of fish from Rivers / Lakes / Ponds.
GDP (Gross Domestic Product)
The total domestic output of a country including exports but not imports.
IMPORTANCE OF FISHING INDUSTRY
1. Fishing is an oldest occupation of the people who live near Lakes, Rivers, Sea and
Ocean.
2. Fish is an important source of diet.
3. Fish provides 13-20 % Proteins 10-12 % Fats along with Calcium, Phosphorous, Iron,
Iodine, Vitamin A and D.
4. According to the session 2009-2010 the total number of people i.e. 395,000 were
engaged with this sector but out of total 135,000 people are engaged with Marine
fishing and remaining 225,000 with Inland fishing.
5. Fishing industry has a share of GDP (Gross Domestic Product) 0.9 %.
6. Pakistan earns 6 % of its foreign exchange by the export of fish and fish products and
fish is exported to Japan, Germany, USA, Middle East and other countries.
7. Fish is delicious, white meat, and low cholesterol diet and important for heart patient.
8. Fish waste is used to make fertilizers and Poultry feed.
9. Oil is extracted from fish.
BREADING SEASON
Peak time : November and January (for fish)
Peak time : October and November (for shrimps)
Lean time : June and July
TYPES OF FISHING
There are TWO types of Fishing
1. Marine Fishing
2. Inland / Fresh Warm Water Fishing
1. MARINE FISHING
Fishing related to Sea or Ocean / Catching of fish from Sea / Ocean.
Marine Fishing is done at Sindh Coast and Makran Coast (Baluchistan). At Sindh coast
Karachi is the main fishing centre. At Makran Coast Jiwani, Gawdar, Pasni, Ormara and
Somiani (small ports) are the main catching centres.
Different species of fish are found at these coasts. At Sindh Coast Prawns, Shark,
Sardines, Makeral, Herring, Drums, Skates, Rays and Cat fish.
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At Makran Coast the number of species are caught by the fishermen e.g. Sardines,
Makeral, Herring, Drums, Skates, Rays, Cat fish and Shark.
BREEDING SEASON
The peak season for catching fish i.e., November to May and for Shrimps October to
November. June and July declared as close months due to breeding.
SINDH COAST
1. Sindh coast has 30 % of total coastal area for fishing.
2. From Sindh Coast 68 % of fish is caught.
3. On Sindh Coast Karachi is the main fishing centre.
4. Sindh Coast has an advantage of wider continental shelf. (The shallow sea bed boarding a
continent).
5. Sindh Coast is rich in fish food because the River Indus brings lot of fish food and join the
Arabian Sea. Mangrove forest also located here. These are good breeding place for fish and
shrimps.
6. Sindh Coast has wide shallow sea beyond.
7. Sindh Coast has numerous creeks, because River Indus forms the delta.
8. On Sindh Coast Government has provided the Storage, Preservation and export facilities.
9. In Karachi the Government has developed the Korangi fish harbour where storage and
packing facilities are available to fishermen.
MAKRAN COAST
1. Makran Coast has the 70 % of total area for fishing.
2. From Makran Coast we catch 32 % of Marine fish.
3. On Makran Coast small ports are the main fishing centres e.g. Jiwani, Gawdar, Pasni,
Ormara and Sonmiani.
4. Makran Coast has no creeks, because only the seasonal streams join the Arabian Sea.
5. On Makran Coast mangrove forests do not exist.
6. On Makran Coast Government has provided the facilities e.g. for docking of sail boat,
handling of the catch, preservation and storage, Ice factory and refrigeration plants and
modern fish curing yards.
7. People adopt the traditional techniques for catching the fish.
8. On Makran Coast, Gwadar is the most important fishing port.
TYPES OF MARINE FISHING
i. Subsistence Marine Fishing
ii. Commercial Marine Fishing
i. SUBSISTENCE MARINE FISHING
When the fisherman and his family consume the fish they catch. Some fishing
communities on the coast are engaged in Subsistence Fishing, as fish is the main
component their diet. As a result the fish catch is also nominal and cannot be relied on as
a permanent source of income. In this type of fishing the fishermen uses traditional /
conventional techniques for catching fish. These are as follows:
1. Small wooden boats. (2 – 5 Kms in deep sea water).
2. Sailing / Rowing boats.
3. Traditional / handmade nets.
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4. Rod and line methods.
5. Fish kept in baskets of ice.
6. Only in coastal areas.
ii. COMMERCIAL MARINE FISHING
In this type of fishing fish is sold into the market after catching by the fishermen. A
number of fishing communities depend on fishing as the sole source of their income.
There are two main fishing centers of commercial fishing i.e. Karachi and Gawdar.
In Karachi the Government has developed Korangi fish harbour where storage and
packing facilities are available. In this type of fishing fishermen use modern techniques to
catch the fish. These are as follows:
1. Mechanized Boats / Engines. (1 – 50 Kms in deep Sea water).
2. Gill netters. (Nets for catching fish which entangles their respiratory organs).
3. Trawlers. (A fishing boat that uses large net that its drags through behind it).
4. Chilled storage on boat.
5. Loans for Education / Training.
2. INLAND / FRESH WARM WATER FISHING
Fishing related to Rivers, Lakes and ponds / Catching of fish from Rivers / Lakes / Ponds.
TYPES OF INLAND / FRESH WARM WATER FISHING
i. FRESH WARM WATER FISHING
Catching of fish from Rivers, Lakes, Dams & Barrages.
ii. COLD WATER FISHING
Catching of fish from Rivers which are located in northern areas, only the Trout fish exist
in cold water.
iii. POND FISHING
Pond fish is under the custody of private sector. They construct number of ponds in
various parts of the country and culture the fish in these man made ponds. Fish farms are
rectangular man-made ponds for breeding of fish. They have a concrete or cemented
impervious base to prevent water losses through leakage. The side of the farm is edged
with solidified mud. Trees are normally planted around the fish farms to provide oxygen,
to minimize water losses through evaporation and to keep the water body cool. This
facilitates the growth and fertilization of fish.
FACTORS (For the Construction of Fish Pond)
1. Flat area.
2. Alluvial soil.
3. Availability of water from canals / tube well.
4. Young fish from hatchery complex.
5. Availability of food.
6. Availability of transport.
7. Man made.
SPECIES (Inland Fishing)
Rahu
Pala
Thala
Gross and silver
Manaseer
SOURCES OF INLAND FISHING
1. River Indus and its eastern and western tributaries.
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2. Manchar in Dadu District.
3. Haleji west of Thatta.
4. Kenjhar north of Thatta.
5. Mangla Dam
6. Tarbela Dam.
FISH MARKETING
Pakistan has a domestic and an International market for fish, shrimps and fish products.
At the domestic level the catch from marine fisheries is supplied to the local fish markets
through wholesale dealers. In Karachi, the main fishing centre, street hawkers also buy
some of the fish catch and provide door to door service. Frozen or processed fish is
supplied to only a few large departmental stores in urban areas, but people prefer to buy
fresh fish and Prawns rather than the processed ones. However, the local demand for fish
is less than its catch. The per capita consumption is 1.6 kg p.a. which is quite low as
compared to European countries.
At the International level Pakistan has a market for fish and fish products. About 30 % of
the total fish catch is exported to 30 countries of the world. Japan is the main market for
fish and Shrimps. U.S.A, U.K and France are other markets. About 80 % of the total fish
catch of the Makran Coast is dried for export to the Middle East.
USES OF FISH
1. Fish is delicious, white meat, and low cholesterol diet and important for heart patient.
2. Fish waste is used to make fertilizers and Poultry feed.
3. Oil is extracted from fish.
PROBLEMS OF FISHING INDUSTRY
1. Water pollution
2. Over fishing
3. Threat / cutting of mangrove forest
4. Less water in rivers (winter)
GOVERNMENT EFFORTS TO DEVELOP FISHERIES
The Government is taking a number of steps to improve the fisheries sector which include:
1. The introduction of new fishing methods.
2. The development of Value-added products such as canned or frozen fish by
providing fish processing facilities.
3. Guidance and weather information for the fishermen through broadcasting
services and the meteorological departments of the government.
4. Monitoring of deep sea fishing vessels.
5. Loans for training / education.
6. Construction of cold storage for processing.
7. Provision of Infrastructure facilities e.g. electricity and roads.
8. Communication facilities for marketing.
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SUSTAINABLE FISHERIES
Sustainable development means that fisheries should be developed in the most balanced
way in order to increase the food production for the present generation and to ensure fish
remain available and accessible to future generations.
In order to develop fisheries on sustainable lines the Government should take all those
factors into consideration and should
1. Banning the use of illegal nets. These have small holes which catch the baby fish.
2. Avoid to the cutting of Mangrove forests and water pollution.
3. Avoid to over fishing.
4. Construction of cold storage for processing.
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