QUETTA, Aug 23 (APP): The Parliamentary Secretary for Fisheries Barkat Ali Rind informed the Balochistan Assembly Standing Committee that the government is facing significant difficulty in curbing illegal fishing trawlers in the Gwadar’s marine area. The number of illegal fishing trawlers is large while the number of manpower and resources with the government are limited.
The Parliamentary Secretary said that the department has failed in curbing illegal fishing in the coastal waters of Balochistan due to inadequate resources such as insufficient fuel and shortage of patrol vessels and lack of human resource.
He said that despite various challenges, the employees of the department have seized 11 illegal trawlers involved in illegal fishing at the marine boundaries of the province so far since January 2023.
The Balochistan Assembly Standing Committee on Fisheries reaffirmed its commitment to address the challenges being faced by the local fishermen and ensure sustainable management in the fisheries sector.
The meeting of the Standing Committee on Fisheries was held under the chair of Maulana Hidayat Ur Rehman while members of the committee including Abdul Majeed Badini, Zabid Ali Reki, Safia and Parliamentary Secretary for Fisheries Barkat Ali Rind were participated.
The Meeting was informed that the maritime area of Balochistan is spread over 17,180 square kilometers.
In the meeting, the committee was briefed about the fisheries department and discussed the important issues faced by the department.
Chairman Committee Maulana Hidayat Ur Rehman stressed the need for significant increase in POL for effective patrolling, highlighting the potential of billions of revenue through adequate funding for the department.
The chairman committee said that the sector has huge potential to generate revenue by allocating a good budget to the department.
The Chairman urged the government to allocate budget for the repairing of the department’s boats to prevent illegal trawling as various species fish have become extinct due to illegal trawling.
The committee stressed the urgent need for the Balochistan government to discuss the matter with the federal government, and said that illegal trawling was costing the billions of public exchequer every year.
The Committee was briefed on the alarming number of over-exploitation of fisheries resources, highlighting the need for effective mechanisms for improvement and rehabilitation.
They also noted the lack of coordination between Sindh and Balochistan governments regarding the regularization of trade.
