ISLAMABAD,Feb 8: The Competitiveness Support Fund (CSF) has identified poor management of the fish harbour, over-fishingand lack of aquaculture as the main factors leading to stagnant businesses in the fisheries sector.

The CSF study said that over-fishing was becoming a serious issue in Sindh and a stronger management would be needed to prevent depleting fish resources in the coastal waters of Sindh.

It said that one major cause of low price of Pakistani seafood was the value- losses in the cool chain qf the existing marine operations, which leads to decline in quality of seafood for both export markets and internal consumption.

CSF has been assisting Pakistan"s fisheries sector since 2007, when in response to a request from an inter-provincial consultative committee, a study was carried out by an international expert on fishery Robert Lindley. The study said that another problem for limited growth of fisheries and seafood sector was lack of existence of aquaculture, which is controlled breeding of fish, shrimps and prawns. 

The study said that production level at aquaculture is far below its potential and there is good scope for aquaculture in coastal belt of Sindh. Currently, CSF is assisting the Sindh government in developing the fisheries resources of the Indus Delta region.

This includes the development of the fishing port and other means to improve the income of the indigenous fishermen in Thana and Badin districts. An action plan has been prepared suggesting changes in the management at the Karachi Fish Harbour and infrastructure investments to improve quality of the fish handling and its processing.

Pakistan has a fish and seafood industry and ancillary industries worth $1.2 billion, I says Arthur Bayhan, CSF chief executive officer but the industry is under threat from two sides over-fishing and poor quality control.

He said that over-fishing threatens to reduce the resource base and yields, whereas poor quality control leads to lowprice of the catch in the I export market. CSF has also carried out a survey of fisheries resources in coastal areas of Balochistan including Gawadar and Pasni.