Page 1 of 5
Fishing Industry
_____________________________________________________________________________________
CIE Syllabus (From 2017 Till 2019)
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Importance of Fishing
• Nutritious food supply.
• Use of fish waste to make poultry feed and fertilizers.
• Fish oil.
• Bones used to make fertilizers.
• Increases in employment, income, and GDP.
• Increases in exports.
Marine Fishing
• Fishing that is carried out on the coastline or at sea (Saltwater).
• Pakistan coastline; Makran coast (70% area), Sindh coast (30% area).
• Practiced in Karachi, Gwadar, Sonamiani, Jiwani, Pasni and Ormara.
• Korangi fish harbor at Karachi is developed.
• Gwadar port is under development.
• Fishes caught: Shark, Herring Drum, Mackerel Croaker, Sardine, Catfish, Pomfret, Skate, Ray.
Page 2 of 5
Subsistence Marine Fishing
• Fish caught, only to be used by the family.
• Small/wooden boats, sailing/rowing boats are used.
• Traditional/handmade nets are used.
• Practiced in coastal areas only.
• Lack of machines, simple engines used.
• Traditional methods such as rod and line method used.
• Fish are kept in baskets of ice.
Commercial Marine Fishing
• Fish caught for the purpose of selling.
• Modern techniques and equipment.
• Large ships that can go far out at sea for several weeks, large nets, rods.
• The weather forecast, refrigeration and processing facilities.
• A large number of fishes caught.
How is fish stored and processed in a commercial setup?
• In ice/cold storage/refrigerated.
• Gutting/ washing/cleaning (initial preparation of fish for other processes / ensure hygiene)
• Freezing (preserve (freshness) / for export)
• Canning (preserve / for export)
• Converting to fishmeal (for domestic poultry feed)
• Salting (so that the fish is preserved)
• Curing (dehydrates the fish so it can last longer / preserve)
• Smoking (preserves the fish and gives it a unique taste)
• Storage (of fish in refrigerators allows maximum storage time) / refrigerating (keeps the
• fish in its original state for eating)
• Packaging (preparing for transport/preparation for sale / protects the fish from
• contamination / prevents spoilage)
Inland Fishing
• Fishing that is carried out on rivers, lakes, ponds, fish farms and reservoirs of dams.
• Types of fish caught: Manaseer, Rahu, Palla, Trout, and Thalla.
Page 3 of 5
Fish Farms
The layout of Fish Farms
• Built-in the large land.
• Ponds arranged in grid pattern/regular pattern.
• Several/at least 4 ponds present.
• Rectangular ponds/long (and thin).
• Ponds separated by banks/embankments/raised edges/mud walls/brick/paved road.
• Line of trees present for shade.
Areas where Fish Farming is Practiced
• KPK(NWFP) by rivers from mountains / in foothills.
• Swat, Chitral, Dir, Malakand, Manshera, FATA.
• Dera Ismael Khan, Kohat, Mardan, Swabi, Abbottabad.
• Punjab – in irrigated areas or where rainfall is sufficient
• Sheikhpura, Gujranwala, Attock
• Sindh – on the Indus floodplain
• Thatta, Badin, Dadu
Types of Fish on Fish Farms: Manaseer, Rahu, Palla, Thalla, Trout, Carp, Shrimp, Catfish, Croaker.
Fishing Methods used on Fish Farms:
• Prepare ponds to fill with water.
• Hatch eggs or buy small fishes or carry out breeding.
• Mostly single species used.
• Regular feeding with poultry waste.
• Health care and regular checks.
• Top up ponds and check water levels, keep the water clean.
• Transfer fish to other ponds depending on size.
• Catch fully grown fish by a net.
Advantages of Developing Fish Farms
• Greater profits for fishermen.
• Increased employment.
• Increased fish production.
• Increase in foreign exchange and GDP.
• Can be built easily by using water from irrigation schemes/lakes/reservoirs.
Page 4 of 5
Problems of the Fishing Industry in Pakistan
• Water pollution: Results in fishes dying or being contaminated with heavy metals and chemicals.
• Overfishing: Fishing at a high rate throughout the year and also in the breeding seasons limits the
production of fishes.
• The threat to Mangroves: Mangrove forests act as breeding grounds for fishes and provide food
to the fishes, polluting or cutting down these forests hinders fish production.
• Less Capital investment: Money is not being invested in the fishing industry because of which
ports are not being developed, fishermen are not able to buy modern equipment resulting in
inefficiency.
• Use of illegal nets that catch small fishes and thus reduces the fish population.
How to Develop the Fishing Industry in Pakistan
• By banning the use of illegal nets and other illegal fishing methods.
• Restricting fishing activates during the breeding seasons.
• Protecting and growing more mangrove forests at the coast.
• Restricting industries from dumping waste in rivers, lakes and at sea.
• Investing money in the development of fishing harbors.
• Providing loans to fishermen.
• Educating fishermen about modern techniques of fishing.
• Providing better ships which can go further into the sea and stay longer there, at low prices.
• Providing fishermen with refrigeration and processing facilities such as canning, on harbors and
modern equipment such as better-quality nets, for fishing.
• Providing weather forecast to fishermen.
• Providing better radio communication systems and satellite systems.
Advantages of Developing the Fishing Industry
• More food will be available.
• Healthier food will be available with more protein etc.
• More employment / more income/ less unemployment.
• Increased exports of Shrimps to Japan, dried fish to the Middle East, to Sri Lanka.
• More education by teaching skills to fishermen.
• More technology – the introduction of engines, machines, radar, satellite navigation.
• The growth of other industries e.g. Processing, boat building.
• Sustainability as fish are ‘free’, should not ‘run out.
Page 5 of 5
The Disadvantage of Developing the Fishing Industry
• Fishing can result in water pollution.
• Overfishing can result in the extinction of species.
• Nets used can cause pollution.
• Income is not that large from this industry.
Sustainable Fishing
• Fishing in a way so that the fish population does not run out and is left for the future generation
to take advantage of.
• We can practice sustainable fishing by using proper nets so small fishes aren’t caught, by
protecting mangrove forests and by restricting fishing during the breeding season.
Overfishing
Definition: Overfishing is when more fish are caught than replaced naturally.
Reasons:
• Too many fish caught
• Small fish caught
• Too young to breed
• Caught in the breeding season
