Balochistan, occupies over 70 per cent (700 Kms) long coast of Pakistan (1,000 kms). It is very favourably located to command large and varied Marine fisheries resources, specially due to proximity of the Gulf of Oman, an important up welling centre in the west, reversible wind system and long fishing season.

Unlike the Pacific and the Atlantic Oceans it is free of hurricanes. It is twice more productive than the other portion of the Indian Ocean.

On an over-all basis, the Arabian Sea fisheries resources can produce over 20 million tons of fish and shellfish. But these are still under exploited. Thus the sea and the ocean offered very rich and dependable resources to ensure supply of 15-20 kg fish per person per year, as capable of producing over 3-4 million tons table fish against the present production of 0.25 million tons fish a year against the domestic supply of one kg per person per year in Pakistan and ensure supply of balanced diet of animal protein food to the common man.

Historically, Arius a historian accompanying the army of Alexander during its return by the seacoast landed at Gwadur and described it as a prosperous town, fishing as their main occupation and fish as their main diet.

Up to the end of the 17 century Sonmiani (the land of gold) was the largest fishing port all over the West Coast from Srilanka up to Bandar Abbas. During early 18th century it was burnt and plundered by Portuguese pirates. There after it could not regain its lost importance.

The Balochistan coast could not be developed fast due to the inhospitable climatic and physiographic conditions the long rule by feudal lords and the deliberate neglect by the Britishers, for political reasons as Balochistan were used as a buffer state against the insurgencies of the Iranian and the Afghans.

It became a part of Pakistan during August 1947. Thereafter during 1956, the federal government initiated a modest and half hearted fisheries development programme with the appointment of an Officer In charge a small cold store, flake ice plant a hygienic fish curing yard which became operative with the completion of a fresh water supply line from Shadi Kaur during 1969-70.

There after more fish curing yards were set up at Ormara, Gwadur and Jiwani stations, a few in board diesel engines were provided to improve wooden fishing boats, synthetic fibre and floats were introduced with the set up of fishermen’s Co-operatives at all these stations. The shrimp and the sardine’s resources were investigated with the support of a 35.0 Gt. stern trawler funded by PARC.

During 1968 the Balochistan province was set up. To accelerate the pace of development and provincial directorate of fisheries was also set up. It framed and enforced a Fisheries Act, got the Gwadur Fish Harbour project approved in 1970. It was shelved after the dismemberment of former East Pakistan and it was built finally in 1998. Another fish harbour was built at Pasni and brought into operation during 1986-87.

The Balochistan coast occupies more than twice the length of Sindh coast but during the year 2000-2001 it produced only 30% fish as compared to the Sindh Coastal waters, employed 37,000 fishermen on 5,672 fishing boats, most of which are fitted with the 25 to 45 hp out board engines.

The fish industry could not be developed on modern lines nor there any hope of it in the near future for reasons summarized below in brief:

Industrial frame-work: It is small and, inefficient and is incapable of initiating and executing any major development programme on the line of the East Asian or the European countries. The government so far could not get team of specialists trained in any important trade of the fish industry. It therefore could not set up any secondary fish industry in the province. They comprise the manufacture of synthetic fibre floats, ropes and nets, machinery other equipment’s etc. They also failed to undertake culture of fish shrimps, crabs, and lobsters at suitable points.

Training: To educate young fishermen, in modern technology, courses were started during 1970-71 in all the coastal high schools of Pasni, Gwadur, Ormara, Jiwani and Sonmiani, small motorized boats along with fisheries laboratories and teachers possessing master’s degree in fisheries- biology are trained at the Karachi University. But they neither could deliver goods nor improved on the lines of Japan, South Korea, and Russia etc during the past 30 years.

Fishing fleet; Fishing boats comprise of small wooden sail boats of 10-30 gt each. mostly fitted with the 30-45 out board and a few small powered motors. They are totally devoid of power-driven gears like trawls, purse seines, long lines, navigation and fish finding equipment’s or provision of freezing and storage of frozen fish. The fishermen do not possess any training or education in these technologies.

Officials failed to obtain a single modern fishing vessel fitted with the navigation, fish-finding and freezing equipment’s or powered gears long lines etc. Freezing and storage facilities. They could not under take construction of such vessels which could help h exploitation of Tuna and other off shore fish resources.

The entire coast has very narrow continental shelf, ranging from 50-70kms wide up to 200 meters depth. Presently due to small powered motors, manually operated gears, absence of fish preservation facilities and the untrained fishermen in using these equipment’s, their fishing activities are confined from 6-8 miles from the shore line up to 30-35 meters depth and 50-100 miles length along the coast in the inshore waters.

Therefore, under the prevailing conditions they are unable to catch deeper waters demersal off shore pelagic fish like all the five varieties of Tuna which move in large schools from 100-400 Kms per day at 30-50 knots per hour and haunt through out the Arabian Sea and wide area of the Indian Ocean.

To develop Tuna Sardines and other demersal fisheries it is imperative that Balochistan government should prepare a crash programme of acquiring a sizable fleet of suitable vessels to exploit these resources from Gwadur and Pasni fishing ports and take immediate appropriate steps to construct deep water fisheries ports at Jiwani, Ormara and Sonmiani ports.

Side by side it should take appropriate steps to train 200-500 fishermen in modern fishing technology per year. Favourable political conditions prevail on global basis to acquire such vessels with crew from Japan, USSR, South Korea, Norway and other developed countries.

It may be worth while to mention that the former USSR launched a wide ranging crash programme on the lines of Japan during 1950 on wards and by the end of 1975 it became the second largest fish producer in the world and its fish production reached over 7.0 million tons a year.

On the same line, the South Korean government launched an ambitious fisheries development programme during 1964-75. At one time it set up 20 fisheries high schools, three fisheries colleges and one fisheries university at Bussan, along with a specialist post-graduate FAO-financed training institute at Bussan.

In each school and college it provided five fish training vessels on self financing basis and in 1975 it produced over 500 trained hands up to graduate level and a dozen fishing specialist captains and a dozen chief mechanical engineers.

During the same period it built 20 third class, 5-second class and 3-first class fisheries ports. It set up special aquiculture Institutes to produce over 1.0 million tons fish 100,000 mt oysters. 20,000 mt shrimps. It liberally financed and subsidized the industry; set up over a dozen fishing companies under took joint venture fishing companies with different countries. By the end of 1975 it produced over 4.0 million tons fish and shellfish a year, exported 40.0 percent produce and provided 65-kg fish for domestic use. In addition, it established separate Fisheries Banks and meaningful societies, liberal subsidy for construction of 150 gt steel vessels. It took several additional measures to develop and manage the industry on modern lines.

The writer of this report himself worked as an Asian Development Bank Consultant prepare its well expended second phase development programme during 1976.

Unfortunately the Balochistan Government in particular and the Federal Government in general Ailed to take any of the above stated measure to make proper use of its little exploited rich fisheries resources. It also failed to set up a proper Fisheries Institutional frame along with a sound policy to achieve the desired objectives. Hence fisheries continue a back ward disorganized mushroom cottage industry and there is little hope in the near future of it.

It is always the man behind the wheel, which counts most for proper operation and maintenance of the vehicle, and it holds good for this multi dimensional industry.