News
Sunday, July 14, 2013
Strategy drafted to halt genocide of juvenile fishKARACHI: Fisheries Department Sindh has sought approval from Provincial Planning and Development Department to start a campaign in order to stop massive genocide of juvenile fish in the sea.
Director Fisheries Sindh Marine Syed Haroon Ali Rizvi said that draft of the scheme titled “Conservation and Surveillance of Marine Resources of Sindh” has been sent for approval. Its was send by Director General Fisheries Department Sindh while Rs199.855 million were required to run the scheme, he said.
The scheme is vital for conservation and surveillance in the sea to stop illegal fishing causing loss to the national exchequer, Rizvi said.
“Illegal nets are being used to catch juvenile fish in the sea, which is very harmful for fish breading.
The fishermen backed by tribal leaders of Balochistan are big hindrance in safeguarding juvenile fish as they open fire on surveillance teams in the sea,” he further said.
“They are using destructive nets and are conducting illegal fishing which needs to be stopped,” Rizvi said.
“We recently carried out surveillance in the sea, caught 32 fishermen and recovered Rs186,500 fine from them.
We also seized 222 illegal nets from the fishermen during various actions,” said the director.
He said that funds are not available for conducting surveillance in the sea, causing hindrances in stopping genocide of juvenile fish and use of illegal and destructive nets in the sea.
He also informed that ban on fishing, which was imposed from June 1st to June 30 has been lifted from July 1, 2013.
“The ban is imposed for fish breeding every year in June and July. However, this year such ban was enforced for June only,” the director concluded. ppi
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk