KARACHI  -  The Sindh government has chalked out a plan to boost the fisheries production in the province.

“The government plans to launch a new scheme in collaboration with international institutions, under which groups of 10 persons interested in fish farming can avail up to 75% of the total funding from the Sindh fisheries department,” Munnawar Jokhio, consultant of the fisheries department, said.

Sharing details with WealthPK, he said that the province’s fishing industry and fishermen lag far behind global standards. He said that the government is actively promoting fish farming, especially on fertile lands. The administration will support fishermen with necessary assistance for water testing and fish species.

Jokhio said that the government’s initiative would support farming and fishing in Sindh to provide a sustainable livelihood in areas extremely vulnerable to the effects of climate change.

Sajid Brohi, Director of the Sindh Agriculture Extension Wing, said that the province is very rich in aquatic resources and has a strong irrigation network based on the Indus River, canals, barrages, reservoirs, lakes, waterlogged areas and village ponds along with the coastline. He said that the land of Sindh is very fertile for fish farming. Most fish farms are located in Thatta, Badin and Dadu districts through which the Indus River passes. “Badin and Thatta have waterlogged floodplain, which is very suitable for fish farming. About 6,000 fish farms are functionally operating across the province, employing 20,000 people.”

Brohi said that the province had great potential for sustainable aquaculture growth and development.

Sindh’s coastline is an extremely productive area endowed with a great biodiversity due to a combination of riverine flow into the Indus delta and sub-tropical environment. Fishery is a significant contributor to the agricultural economy of Pakistan. Marine catch is carried out through mostly motorised fishing vessels, which are operated from four fish harbours and nine landing jetties situated in Sindh and Balochistan. However, Karachi fish harbour is the biggest of all and handles over 80% of industrial fishing fleets. Thus, Sindh coastline plays a significant role in the total marine catch of the country.

Pakistan is gifted with a wide variety of fisheries resources, including 150 commercially important species. Most valued species are exported, while a major part of the total catch is converted into fishmeal for export, as well as for use in the local poultry as feed. The main export species include shrimp, Indian mackerel, ribbon-fish, tuna, sole and crab.