Fishing Industry:

You should be able to:

• Describe the fishing methods used in both marine and inland waters, including fish farms
• Give examples of the fish caught in both marine and inland waters, and of the fish reared on fish farms
• Give examples of the fishing ports on both the Baluchistan and Sindh coasts
• Describe the uses of the fish caught
• Explain improvements in fishing methods and processing techniques
• Understand the problems facing the fishing industry and evaluate the possibilities for its further
development and sustainability.

Fishing: the term refers to catch the fish. It is a primary sector industry. It is the main occupation of
people living in the coastal areas of Pakistan; serving as their main source of food and cash as the
surplus catch is sold. Types of catch caught varies from prawns, crabs, lobsters are caught in Indus
Delta. Herring, Mackerel are caught in Hab delta.
Aquaculture: With the progress of civilization, fishing communities started breeding fish. This is
called fish farming or Aquaculture.
There are two purposes of fishing,
a) Subsistence Fishing: refers to fish catch which is practiced or done for fishermen’s family
consumption. This is done through traditional methods of fishing like small boats and nets. It is
main occupation of the people who live near coastal areas of sindh and Baluchistan.
Characteristics of Subsistence Fishing:
• Wooden sail boat which can only go for 5-10 km away from the coast. (Limited area)
• Fishermen for fishing in morning and come back in afternoon. (Fix Time)
• Fisherman may also use a wooden row boat or a wooden boat fitted with a small engine
• Fisherman has a traditional small net so his catch is small. (Family Business or Skills)
• During the monsoon season the sea is rough so he can’t go out, thus the fisherman must find some
alternative work (Problem of Subsistence fishing)
• Whole family is involved; male catches the fish whole the rest of the family cleans off the scales
and removes the gut of fish. (Group Work/ everyone is involved)
b) Commercial Fishing: refers to fish catch which is done for earning and getting profit. It is
done on a large scale through modern techniques and equipments.

Types of Fishing:
Fishing is categorized as Inland fishing and Marine fishing.
Inland Fishing:
For Subsistence:
• Fishing is practiced in rivers, lakes, reservoirs of dams (like Tarbela/Mangla) as an extra source
of income. In Northern Areas it is done for sports by catching trout.
• Small traditional nets are used to catch the fish
For Commercial:
• Rectangular ponds are dug into the ground (in a regular pattern), which makes it easy to corner and
catch the fish ultimately. The ground must be flat for maintaining water level, soft for digging
and must have an impermeable soil layer to reduce water loss.
• Embankments are made of soil dug out and trees are planted to provide shade, reduce soil erosion
and their leaves degenerate to form food for fish
• The sides of pond are lined with stones or cement to reduce water loss
• Cow dung or fertilizer is spread on surface as food for micro-organism which is eaten by fish.
Poultry can be practiced along with ponds for food purposes
• Paved roads are made between fish farms for transport purposes
• The pond is half filled with water and after a week or two limes is thrown into it to make it
transparent
• Then it is completely filled, and fish brought from hatcheries are introduced
• They are given vaccination and some other food
Main Inland Fishing Centres:
Manchar Lake in Dadu District Kairi (Keenjhar) Lake North of Thatta
Haleji Lake West of Thatta Reservoirs of Mangla and Tarbela Dams.
River Indus at Sukkur, Kotri and Thatta. ​

Marine Fishing:
• It is practiced by fishing companies mostly along the developed Sindh coastline. It involves fish
caught in bulk, thus it is a permanent source of income
• Motorized boats are used which can travel 40-50 km off coast and into the deep water to catch the
unexploited stocks of fish
• These boats also have refrigeration facilities so fishing can be done uninterruptedly for 10-15 days.
• Ice is bought in large quantities from ice factories along both coasts and loaded onto the fishing
vessels
• Gill netters help in quickly catching large amount of fish
• Sonar is also used to locate shoals of fish so more fish can be caught in less time. This saves operating
costs
• Weather forecasts are used for safe navigation and for returning catch without sinking

Fishing Coasts

Distribution of catch:
• Most of catch is along Sindh coastline it is because of following reasons
• Large population of Karachi offers a bigger market for the fish catch. Catching fish near the
demand source lowers the transport cost of fish for the fishermen
• Most fishing companies operate near Karachi as it is more developed than other coastal areas of
Pakistan
• Indus Delta in Sindh is much larger than Hab delta in Baluchistan. Indus delta has a much bigger
river, which brings in more silt for Mangroves. Mangrove roots provide protection and breeding
ground for fishes.

• Also the leaves of these trees degenerate to form food for fish
• Sindh has a much shallower coast farther off-shore than Baluchistan’s coast. Shallower coast
means more sunlight can penetrate the sea and more plankton (main food of fish) can
photosynthesize. So fish are abundant near Sindh coastline
• Korangi fish harbour is more developed than fish harbors on the Baluchistan coast. The Korangi
one has more docking space. It also provides storing, processing and export facilities
• When the catch is processed value is added to it. For example by removing scales and guts of fish
and canning it, it fetches more money than the unprocessed fish would have fetched
• Ice required for commercial fishing is available at Korangi. The ice prevents the catch from
getting spoiled too quickly
• Fish guts and scales that could have been wasted are crushed to make animal feed due to presence
of fish related industries. This means that a fisherman earns more for the fish than he would have
earn if he had disposed off the guts etc

Improvements along Makran coast and in general:

• Completion of Makran coastal highway. It has allowed for the transport of catch from less
populous Makran coast to the Sindh coast where there is higher demand.
• The highway also has allowed the transportation of machinery to Makran coast to develop fishing
industry there like ice factories etc
• More ice factories have been constructed there to promote commercial fishing by providing the
pre-requisites for commercial fishing
• A fish harbour has been constructed at Gwadar and export facilities are being developed for fish
related products
• Electricity has been brought in from Iran to run ice factories at Gwadar, ice along with salt helps
in preserving of fish, thus reducing post harvest losses to fishermen. For example a fisherman at
coast catches 10 kg of fish, but due to poor preservation methods, only 8kg of his catch is
seemed as fit for consumption and he thus doesn’t receives any money for the 2kg lost
• EU inspectors have inspected fish processing facilities along Makran Coast and have found
conditions to be improving in terms of hygiene with sorting tables for crabs and shrimps
• But even still majority of catch is from subsistence fishing. The government is giving cheap loans
to fishermen so they could buy bigger nets and motorize their boats
Uses and Importance of Fish Caught:
• The fish is gutted (stomach and intestines are removed etc), after which it is canned or salted or
frozen and transported
• Later on it may be made into other products like finger fish etc
• Fish guts, eyes and scales are used to make fertilizer and animal feed
• Fish is sold to earn cash, the sale price is increasing due to ever increasing demand from a
growing population
• Shrimps are exported to USA etc and some fish is dried and then salted for export to Middle East
and Sri Lanka
• Fish meat is better than red meat as it has Omega 3 so it is better for heart patients. With
increasing awareness about benefits of eating fish, the demand for white meat is increasing
steadily
• Fish catching also may serve as a tourist attraction in Northern Areas of Pakistan
• Importantly increasing trends of eating fish would put less pressure on demand of cereal crops
like wheat. It will result in less land being cleared (to feed a growing population) for growing
crops and thus decrease rate of deforestation
• It also provides employment to many people either directly or indirectly and makes use of local
resources like cheap abundant pool of labour. Capital (setup) costs are low and returns are quick
Problems for Fishing Industry:
• Main problem facing the fishing sector is the lack of funds or mismanagement in development.
The longest coast (Makran) is least developed where obsolete methods of catching fish are still
being used
• Most areas along the Makran Coast have no electricity, so it is impossible to build ice factories
• Low level of education of fishermen means that only a small number of them can be trained to
operate big fishing boats or work in processing factories (which would improve fish production)
• Telecommunication facilities are still p
• oor, thus there is a communication gap between fishermen and buyers (buying and selling). Thus
some of the catch may not be in the most ideal condition when it reaches the market and may not
sell
• Overfishing is also another problem. After building of Tarbela and Mangla dams, much of the
farming area in the Indus Delta was lost due to the intrusion of sea water (as there was less river
water to push back the sea water). These jobless people started fishing in an already
overcrowded environment. This resulted in decreasing fish stocks
• These dams also resulted in fewer amounts of fresh water and silt for Mangroves. Hab dam also
has had an effect on mangroves on Makran Coast
• By-catch also occurs in commercial fishing. Fish not required by the operators is accidentally
caught but along with other economical fish it is also killed. This disturbs the balanced marine
ecosystem
• Much of Pakistan’s fish products like canned fish are banned in EU due to the unhygienic
conditions in which they are processed. The other low value added goods like salted fish are
exported to Sri Lanka
• This all results in very low investment in this neglected sector of economy, with Gwadar port
having only 2 ice factories Supplies of potable water to Karachi harbour are limited
Sustainable Fishing:
• Fishing of endangered species of fish must be banned to allow stocks to recover
• Nets with certain size of holes be used to avoid by catch of smaller fish, also it allows immature fish to
escape so they can breed in the future and allow for recovery of the fish stocks
• Fishing should be banned during the breeding season of the fish, so stocks can recover
• Illegal fishing must be stopped as the illegal fishermen do not conform to rules and regulations. For
example they catch smaller and immature fish to maximize their profits, at the expense of future Stocks
• Quotas must be set for countries in international water
• Strict patrols must be carried out on the edges of Pakistan’s waters, where foreign trawlers illegally can
easily fish, without port charges/license/taxes etc
Species of Fish in Pakistan:
Marine Fish Inland Fish
• Sharks • Manaseer
• Crokers • Palla
• Skates • Thalla
• Drums • Rahu
• Catfish • Trout
• Herring • Silver
• Sardine
• Mackerel

Fishing Methods:
Fishing with Rods: this is most common type of fishing technique used not just in Pakistan but all over
the world. This is however, not a professional way of fishing. Just for enjoying or domestic purpose.
Fishing with Nets: fishing with nets is the most used technique to catch fish. It is used by almost all
people engaged in fishery industry. Generally, Tuna is shot in the evening through Gill net and the net is
fetched in the morning targeting main pelagic species as they command high commercial value. It is
used in Sindh on small scale by special nets using wooden sailboats. Through this method fishing is
specially done in Ibrahim Hyderi and Chashma Goth Villages.
Fishing with Weirs: this is yet another traditional way of fishing where sticks, stones or nets are
installed for a certain period of time in such a way that fish get caught or get stuck into it.
Matka Fishing or Chajyor Chejakee: This method is practiced in remote areas of KPK and Sindh.
This technique is specially used at Keenjhar Lake, Thatta district, sindh. Floating pitchers are used to
catch fish.
Benthic Fishing: Deep water fishing is used comparatively less because the local fishing vessels are
neither suitable and nor properly equipped for fishing in deep waters. Benthic fishery is carries on small
scales along the coastal areas. Fishermen use gill nets for this purpose. Benthic variety includes Jew
fish, corkers, Grunters, Shaper, Groupers, Ribbon fish, and pomfret. This method is not common in
Pakistan.
Vessels Fishing: Two types of vessels are used in Pakistan. First, Mechanized Docked Boats which are
6000 in numbers and Second Mechanized sailboats made of wood which are 2000 in Numbers in our
country.

Q: Study the following Picture, showing a part of Fish Farm

1) What type of infrastructure is shown in Picture?

• Paved Path to transportation
• Shed providing trees/ Oxygen generate / CO2 absorb
• Rectangular shaped farm
• Embankments for saving the water and preventing it from seepage
2) What type of activities can practice along this farm?
• Poultry Farming
• Livestock
Q: Explain two fishing methods and how these can improved to make fishing commercial?
• Small/ Wooden boats
• Sailing Boats
• Traditional handmade nets
• Coastal Area fishing
• Rod and line method
• Fish kept in Basket of Ice
The above methods can be improved through
• Using Engines in boats to go far in sea
• Gill netters/ nylon nets/ stronger nets should use
• Radio and other gadgets can be used for weather updates
• Trawlers should be used
• Loans should be given to small level fishermen for better equipment and education
Q: How can fish be stored and processed onshore?
• In ice/Cold place/ Refrigerators
• Gutted
• Canned
• Dried and Salted
Q: Why is fish processing called Value added?
Because it can be sold for more money/ more profit.
Q: How does poor infrastructure of Baluchistan makes development of fishing industry in
Baluchistan difficult?
• Poor Roads/ No Railways for bulky goods transportation
• Lack of Electricity/ power for fish processing
• Poor telecommunication to market
• Lack of Fresh and clean water for processing
• Illiteracy/ lack of skills/ education/ training
Q: Study the given graph showing production of inland and Marine Fish.

i. Compare the changes of production shown in graph.

• Both increased
• Marine increased more than Inland fishing
• Inland had little increase until early 1970s
• Inland increased to nearly 10 times bigger/ marine only 5 times bigger
ii. Explain why more people are employed in Inland than in Marine Fishing?
• More people live near Rivers and lakes so they choose this business
• Many people are skilled in maintenance of Ponds
• Hatcheries, feeding, Catching, Transporters
Q: Name two fishing ports on the Makran Coast.
Any two of Jiwani, Gwadar, Pasni, Ormara, Sonmiani
Q: Describe the methods used in commercial marine fishing.
• Trawl / gill nets
• Mechanized boats / trawlers / gill-netters
• Satellite navigation/use of radio for weather conditions/sonar/’fish finders’
• Storage/refrigeration facilities on boat
• Up to 60km from the coast
• Remain at sea 5–15 days/’weeks’
• Throughout the year/10 months or more per year

(d) To what extent is it possible for marine fishing to be developed sustainably in Pakistan? Give
reasons to support your answer.

Indicative content (developed points in parentheses)

Possible:
• By avoiding overfishing
• By having quotas/government licenses
• Secure fishing grounds from foreign fishing boats/fines/policing
• Limit number of months in year able to fish (to allow breeding)
• Only catch adult fish (by using nets with larger mesh)
• Laws to protect of mangrove forests
• Laws/fines to prevent marine pollution/oil spills
• Education in sustainable methods
Not possible:
• Mangrove forests are being cleared (reducing breeding/feeding areas for fish/shrimps)
• Sea pollution (oil from ships/industrial/domestic waste from Karachi)(poisoning fish and
spreading into food chain)
• Not enough capital/investment
• Lack of skills/training in sustainable methods
• Lack of political interest/will (fishing only makes up about 0.5% of GDP)
Q: Match the Column of fish group with respective area.
Fishing Group Fishing Area
Group 1: Crab, Lobster, Prawns(Jhinga), Sardines, Shark A: Inland Fisheries (Freshwater)
Group 2: Hila, Mahseer, Palla, Trout B: Makran/ Baluchistan Coast
Group 3: Herring, Mackeral, Sardines, Shark C: Indus Delta/ Sindh Coast
1. In which area fishing group 1 is caught?
Sindh Coast
2. In which area fishing group 2 is caught?
Inland Fisheries (Freshwater)
3. In which area fishing group 3 is caught?
Makran Coast

Q: Study figure, showing the weight of marine fish caught in 1996-2006.

1. Suggest two reasons why was the weight caught in 2006 less than in 1996?
• Over Fishing
• Water pollution/ Oil spillage
• Loss of breeding/ shelter/ feeding areas e.g. (mangrove)
• Fishing in breeding season (May -Sep)
• Fishing by boats by other countries
2. Describe how the weight of fish has changed between year 1996 and 2006.
• Increase and decrease/ fluctuate
• Highest in 2002
• Two peaks
• Lowest in 2006
• No increase since 2003
3. Describe how marine fishing methods can be improved?
• Boats with engine
• Can go further offshore
• Can stay at sea for several days
• Cold Storage in Boats
• Mechanized equipment/ winches/ nylons/ stronger nets
• Weather forecast
• Sonar for locating fish
• Satellite navigation
• Training/ education

Q: Describe the advantages and disadvantages of developing fishing in Pakistan.

Q: Describe the fishing methods used in fish farms.

• Prepare Ponds/ half fills for insects
• Hatch eggs/ buy smelt (baby fish)/
• Breeding of single species improved
• Regular feeding with poultry waste
• Catch fully grown fish by net
Q: Explain why fishing and fish farms are important in Pakistan?
• Nutritious food/good quality/ healthy
• Content of food including fish oil, protean white meat, low in cholesterol
• Source of income
• Source of employment
• Exports and earns foreign exchange
• Bones are used in fertilizers

Q: What are advantages and disadvantages of developing fish processing industries in port of
Baluchistan?

7
ICS GAINS THE PAIN TO TRAIN THE BRAINS