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'Foreign trawlers depriving Pakistan of $100m revenue'

KARACHI: Foreign fishing trawlers have been depriving Pakistan from earning a foreign exchange worth $80 million to $100 million every year through illegal pouching, fishing sources said.

They said these trawlers do illegal fishing as they pouch within 35 nautical miles area which is specifically allocated for local fishermen.

Under the Exclusive Fishery Zone Act 1975, foreign vessels were allowed trawling outside 35 nautical miles from the coastal line.

Trawlers Owners Group President Tahir Dada while demanding the government to impose ban on the issue of fishing licence to foreign trawlers said that these trawlers had been causing huge losses to the local fishermen.

He said each local fishing boat had been suffering a loss of Rs. 15,000 to Rs. 50,000 per trip and the fisheries industry was at the brink of collapse.

"Why one million people attached to fisheries industry suffer due to couple of dozens of officials who allegedly take bribe from foreign trawlers?" Dada asked.

He said there should be no foreign trawlers allowed within the Pakistani territorial waters.

The Maritime Security Agency (MSA) has several times caught these trawlers within 35 nautical miles and Marine Fisheries Department (MFD) imposed penalties on them for illegal fishing.

According to statistics of penalties by MFD, the incidents of violations by foreign trawlers are rising, up from two in 1996 to 150 during 1999.

The amount of penalty also rose from Rs. 0.4 million to Rs. 50 million in 1999.

Each trawler has to deposit Rs. 5 million for obtaining licence, Rs. 5 million as royalty and $6,000 for two months trip.

Fishing sources said that these trawlers allegedly pay Rs. 30,000 to Rs. 40,000 as bribe to get licence. In addition, they allegedly bribe officials of almost every related department.

They alleged that the foreign trawlers earn more than $100 million annually and show only $3 to $4 million as export through State Bank of Pakistan (SBP).

According to the conditions of letter of intent (LoI) needed for operation by the foreign fishing trawlers, the fish catch has to be landed or exported from Korangi Fish Harbour from the same vessel or through container vessel after getting permission from the concerned government agencies.

In addition, the total value of the sale proceeds of the exported seafood by Pakistani firm should be repatriated to Pakistan in foreign exchange.

One of the directors at FCS board said that one trawler had to catch more than four tonnes of fish for its survival. They catch at least four times higher of this limit, he added.

He alleged that these trawlers bring in only a small catch to Korangi Fish Harbour and transfer most of their catch through other crafts for onward exports without the government knowledge.

Local fishermen have been complaining of low catch and have urged Fishermen Cooperative Society (FCS) for taking steps to stop illegal fishing by the foreign trawlers.

An official of Maritime Security Agency (MSA) said that it was very difficult to keep eyes all the time on the movement of these trawlers as they preferably move during midnights in deep water where MSA could not reach them due to rough sea. APP