KARACHI: Poaching by Indian fishing boats has caused huge losses to Pakistan’s economy, its fishermen and marine resources on a yearly basis. Early ratification of the Agreement on Port State Measures (PSMA) — the first binding international agreement specifically targeting illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing — can help the government address this issue.

This was stated by the World Wide Fund for Nature-Pakistan (WWF-P) on the eve of the International Day for the Fight against Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing being observed for the first time in the world on June 5.

The decision to observe the day was taken in a UN General Assembly meeting last year which called for efforts to draw attention to the threats posed by IUU fishing activities and highlight sustainable use of fisheries resources.

“Globally, IUU fishing is estimated to be about 20 per cent of the total marine wild catch and is worth between $10 billion and $23.5bn annually. IUU fishing can jeopardise and debilitate conservation and management efforts for sustainable tuna fisheries, ultimately undermining profits and livelihoods of the fishermen that play by the rules,” said Muhammad Moazzam Khan, who is currently acting as technical adviser on marine fisheries at WWF-P.

According to him, it’s mainly the Northern and West Indian Ocean countries with limited Monitoring Control and Surveillance (MCS) capabilities which face this grave issue.

“The Agreement on Port State Measures aims to deter and eliminate IUU fishing by preventing vessels engaged in IUU fishing from using ports and landing their catches,” he said, emphasising the need for building knowledge and technical capacity within government departments and relevant sectors on the negative impacts of IUU fishing on the fisheries industry.

Sharing details of a recent national consultation held in Karachi on the subject, he said stakeholders were concerned over Indian poaching in Pakistan’s waters and were of the opinion that though law enforcement agencies were carrying out strict monitoring of its coastal and offshore waters, poaching by Indian fishing boats was still a serious issue in Pakistan.

“This is indicated by seizure of hundreds of illegal Indian boats by Pakistan Maritime Security Agency every year. The workshop had also recommended developing a national plan of action for IUU which is a requirement under the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries,” he explained.

He also stressed the need for streamlining the registration system for fishing boats and said that a mandatory log book system should be immediately introduced to ensure that fish catch was properly recorded.

“A strict vigil must also be kept on transboundary areas to ensure effective control of poaching activities as they deprive fishermen from fisheries resources,” he said.

The government, he suggested, should declare more marine protected areas along the coast of Pakistan as they contribute towards controlling IUU fishing and conserve natural resources.

The government of Balochistan had already declared Astola Island as a marine protected area whereas consultations were underway for declaring Miani Hor and Churna Island protected, he said.

Published in Dawn, June 5th, 2018