2. Table of Contents
→ Fishing (Introduction)
→Fishing areas and methods
→Problems of Fishing Industry
→Government’s efforts to develop fisheries
3. Introduction
→Fishing is one of the oldest occupations for
people who live near lakes, rivers and sea.
→With the progress of civilization, fishing
communities started breeding fish. This is
called fish farming.
→In Pakistan there are many fish farms
inland using man-made, rectangular ponds
as well as using protected areas in rivers and
lakes.
→Pakistan earns 6% of its total foreign
exchange earnings by exporting fish,
shrimps and fish products.
→Fishing is the main occupation in the
coastal settlements of Sindh( except
Karachi) and Balochistan.
4. Fishing areas and Methods
Marine Fishing: Pakistan has a coastline
divided into the Sindh and Makran coasts.
→ The Sindh coast is 30% of coastline and
the Makran coast 70%.
→ In Sindh, Karachi is the main fishing
centre. On the Makran coast fishing ports
are small, often no more than villages
like Soniamani and Jiwani.
→ Gwadar is the most important fishing
port on this coast. It is developed as a
fishing centre by providing improved
facilities such as an ice factory,
refrigeration plants and modern fish
curing(preserving) methods.
→ Improvements are also being made at
Ormara and Pasni.
5. Commercial Fishing: In commercial
fishing the fish is sold in the market.
→A number of fishing communities
depend on fishing as the sole source of
their income.
→There are two main centres of
commercial fishing, Karachi and
Gwadar. The Sindh coast is more
important and accounts for nearly 68%
of total marine catch.
→Modern trawlers and mechanized boats
have made it possible to fish 50-60 km
from the coast in deep-sea waters.
→In Karachi the government has
developed Korangi fish harbour where
storage and packing facilities are
available to fisherman.
7. Inland Fishing: Inland fishing is practised in
almost all the rivers and lakes in the country.
→A number of fish farms have been spread
throughout Punjab, Sindh and a few areas of
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
8. Fish Farms: Fish farms are rectangular
man-made ponds for breeding of fish.
→ They have a concrete or cemented
base to prevent water losses through
leakage. The side of the farm is
edged with solidified mud.
→ Trees are often planted around the
fish farms to provide oxygen,
minimize the evaporation and to
keep the water body cool.
The main fishing centres are:
→ Manchar lake in Dadu district.
→ Kheenjar lake in north of Thatta.
→ River Indus at Thatta, Sukkur and
Kotri.
10. Problems of Fishing Industry
The main problems facing the fishing industry
in Pakistan are:
→ Pollution on the coast of Pakistan is
mostly limited to the Karachi area. The
Karachi fish harbour is severely affected
by a variety of pollutants.
→ Spillage of oil from ships and domestic
and Industrial waste is causing great
harm to fishing Industry.
→ Mangrove that are breeding ground for fish
and shrimps can not grow well in polluted
sea water.
→ Pakistan does not have enough capital to
develop the fishing Industry on modern
lines.
→ In Pakistan most of the fishing is done in
traditional lines which results in low
output.
11. Government efforts to develop fisheries
The government is taking a number of
steps to improve the fisheries sector
which include:
→ The introduction of new fishing
methods.
→ Development of value added
products such as canned fish by
providing fish processing facilities.
→ Guidance and weather information
for the fisherman through
broadcasting services.
