Fishermen contest the ‘national fisheries policy’
The fishing community has vehemently condemned and resisted the establishment of a national fisheries policy, asserting that fisheries is unequivocally a provincial matter, hence only provinces should be responsible for formulating policies regarding the fishing sector.
Mustafa Mirani, Chairperson of the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum, stated that they have been informed via media that federal officials are in the process of developing a national fisheries policy. He stated that the fishing community is the primary stakeholder in the fisheries sector; nevertheless, they were not engaged prior to the formulation of this policy. “We will reject any policy that contravenes our interests,” he cautioned.
The federal government has distributed a draft of the ‘National Fisheries and Aquaculture Policy 2025-35’ to province governments, including Sindh and Balochistan. Kazim Hussain Jatoi, Provincial Secretary for Fisheries and Livestock in Sindh, verified this and informed The Express Tribune that the Sindh government is presently formulating its response to the proposed policy.
The proposed policy mandates the federal government to form a principal council, termed the ‘Pakistan Fisheries and Aquaculture Council (PFAC),’ consisting of pertinent stakeholders from both the central and provincial levels. It will suggest modifications to the fisheries policy and law to address challenges in the federal-provincial framework of fisheries and aquaculture governance.
This draft recommends that the governments of Sindh and Balochistan register and formalize all current informal unauthorized private jetties and landing spots through designated legislation, regulations, and guidelines. “An annual tax, rent, and fee will be imposed on all jetties and landing sites for structures constructed within the sea, commencing from the high water mark,” it read.
The draft stipulates that the Mercantile Marine Department shall register all vessels, excluding commerce and cargo ships, intending to operate in the nation’s waterways. “The administrations of the coastal provinces of Sindh and Balochistan are urged to enhance their initiatives in creating a nationwide integrated and cohesive ‘Central Digital Register’ for maritime fishing vessels and harbor crafts, as proposed by the MMD of the federal government, which will incorporate devolved system arrangements for registration processing at the provincial level,” it stated.
The draft stipulates that the federal government, in collaboration with the provincial governments of Sindh and Balochistan, will optimize the ‘One-Licence System’ and the ‘Benefit Sharing Mechanism’ for the co-management of capture fisheries across all fishing zones in Pakistan’s marine waters, including certification for nakhuda and crew members.
The draft proposes a three-month fishing moratorium, from June to August, instead of the current two-month prohibition, applicable to both marine and freshwater resources. The proposed policy mandates that federal and provincial governments establish and enforce specific regulations to reform or delineate the role and governance mechanisms of social organizational structures, such as fishing cooperative organizations.
