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Analysis of Pakistani Industries

By Dr Khadija Bari

Term Report on The Fisheries Sector of Pakistan

Group Members:

1. Syeda Hira Madni


2. Misbah Usman
3. Muhammad Hamza Khan

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Table of Contents
Acknowledgement.............................................................................................................3
Brief Economic History of Pakistan.....................................................................................4
Laying the Foundations 1947 To 1958.................................................................................................6
The Decade of Development From 1958 To 1968.............................................................................6
The Bad Luck Years 1971 1977..............................................................................................................7
The Second Military Government 1977 To 1988................................................................................8
Current Economic Situation of Pakistan.............................................................................................8

The Diamond Porter Model..............................................................................................10


The Fisheries Sector:........................................................................................................11
OVERFISHING.............................................................................................................................15
THREATS TO COASTAL AND MARINE ECOSYSTEMS....................................................................20
Post-Harvest Losses....................................................................................................................23
Lack of Home Demand...............................................................................................................30
Government Mismanagement...................................................................................................32
Water Pollution..........................................................................................................................35
Recommendations...........................................................................................................39
Bibliography....................................................................................................................40

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Acknowledgement

This report has been compiled by three motivated students but with the kind help
from some individuals who must be acknowledged. First and foremost, our instructor
for Analysis of Pakistani Industries, Dr Khadija Bari. It was her guidance during the
classes and throughout during the quarantine period that enabled us to work in the
right direction. The Teaching Assistant for this course, Nida Vohra, was also very
kind to us and helped us out with any queries related to the structure of this report.
Furthermore, since gathering primary data through fieldwork was not possible
because of Covid-19, there were three individuals who were of great help with this
report. We would like to thank:
 Mr Moazzam Ali Khan - Technical Advisor (Fisheries) at the World Wildlife
Federation Pakistan and former Director General of Marine Fisheries
Department (MFD.
 Rear Admiral Zaka Ur Rehman – Director General Pakistan Maritime
Security Agency (PMSA).
 An official from the Inter Services Intelligences (ISI) who looks after the
maritime affairs.

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Brief Economic History of Pakistan

Economic History of Pakistan can be divided into four distinct eras:

 1947 to 1958 - Laying the Foundations


 1958 to 1968 - The Decade of Development
 1971 to 1977- The Bad Luck Years
 1977 to 1988 – The Second Military Government

Pakistan's trajectory of economic and political development over the sixty six years
since its inception in 1947 can be distinguished by numerous epochs or eras which
represent different economic policies and planning and management arrangements.
The first 11 years between 1947 and 1958 are the years when the country and
economy were trying to settle down, but to no avail. This was followed by what many
still called, the Golden era of economic development in the decade of development
under Ayub Khan. The economy in the political scene had indeed stabilized and
settled down with the result that growth rates were unprecedented, and Pakistan was
considered to be one of the few countries at the time which would achieve developed
country status. But with the war of liberation in East Pakistan the majority wing left
Pakistan to form Bangladesh and two new countries, not one, were born.

Post 1971 Pakistan was a new country in every respect compared to the one that
had existed between 1947 and 1971. A highly significant era in Pakistan’s history
was marked by a five-and-a-half-year period of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. His populism or
Islamic socialism made him the most popular and at that time the only elected leader
to emerge in what was left of Pakistan. His rule ended with the imposition of
Pakistan’s 2nd martial law under General Zia-ul-Haq in 1977, perhaps the most brutal
of all three, which changed Pakistan for worse, with the connotations and
repercussions which continue well after three and a half decades. Attempts at the
Islamization of the economy and society and a praetorian democracy between 1985
and 1988 were amongst the salient features of Zia era.

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The death of General Zia in many ways once again brought the about the end of the
old Pakistan and in 1988 signaled the third birth of the nation after 1947 and 1971.
Yet another military coup in 1999 which brought general Pervez Musharraf to power
in some ways ended the complex political civil and military arrangement that had
existed since 1988. The return of the military directly into politics after 1999 implied
considerable change compared to the 1988-99. Political and economic changes in
2007 and 2008 signaled hope and optimism in many ways but also demonstrated,
abject failure and mismanagement during the 2008-2013 Democratic transition.

At the time of independence, the major share of West Pakistan’s gross domestic
product was from agriculture which contributed around 53% compared to 7.8% from
manufacturing and 11.9% from retail trade. More than 65% of Pakistan’s labor force
worked in agriculture, and almost all of Pakistan’s exports consisted of primary
products, essentially agricultural commodities like jute and tea which not surprisingly
originated from (East) Pakistan.

Pakistan is basically an agricultural country is no longer true. Agriculture now


contributes a mere 21% towards GDP while manufacturing is as high as 21%. The
services sector has replaced agriculture as the dominant sector of the economy
contributing more than half the total GDP the population employed in agriculture has
also fallen; although, at around 45% of the total labor force agriculture is still the
biggest sector in terms of the employed labor force more importantly the nature of
exports from Pakistan has also changed dramatically from 9999.2% of total exports
in 1947 primary commodities now constitute only around 15%. However, one must
emphasize the fact that although 85% of Pakistan’s exports are now manufactured
goods with textiles, garments and yarn, making up most of them these figures are
less impressive when we realize that most of Pakistan’s exports still depend critically
on raw cotton.

With more with more than 60% of country's population living in cities and towns the
economic profile in terms of consumption and production patterns has also changed
quite dramatically. In the last 66 years from only 6 million inhabitants out of

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population of 33.8 million in 1947 to more than 110 million who now reside in cities
and towns.

Laying the Foundations 1947 To 1958

In 1947 Pakistan was indeed a predominantly, agrarian, undeveloped, newly


independent nation with little industry, few services and no infrastructure. In the first
few years, Pakistan’s main concern was one of survival with adverse international
conditions and a precarious domestic situation, with millions of refugees, made the
provision of very basic necessities the primary task of the government.

The first decade of economic policy and planning witnessed the attempts of
bureaucracy to keep Pakistan on its feet, the private sector was still in an embryonic
state and did not have the capital to lead an industrial revolution in the country.
Fortunately, the windfall gains made by the mercantile class during and after the
Korean War in 1952 that paved the way for foundation of industrialization coupled
with the conscious decisions of not devaluing the currency in 1949 and in 1952
respectively.

The Decade of Development From 1958 To 1968

The 1960s has been termed a controversial decade for the type of economic policy
pursued and the resulting economic and political effects dozens of economists and
social scientists have written about Ayub’s era and generally agreed that
considerable economic growth and development did indeed take place. Growth rates
in excess of 20% per annum were witnessed in the large-scale manufacturing sector.
In the first 5 years of Ayub’s rule manufacturing grew by as much as 17% and in the
second half of Ayub’s rule, agricultural growth increased by 6% while industry grew
by 10%.

Critics have pointed out that this aggressive capitalist development caused serious
economic, social and political tensions; they argue that there was increased disparity
in incomes across different regions which was manifest in the concentration of

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economic prosperity in both the industrial and agricultural sectors in central Punjab
and industry in Karachi. Critics of Ayub’s model of development point out that these
two regions were permitted to grow at the expense of the rest of the country and the
end result was the feeling in East Pakistan of utter neglect and betrayal during
Ayub’s rule. Economic concentration amongst individuals and numerous business
empires were created. This, they showed resulted in increasing income inequality
Of course, all this did happen there was tremendous growth but there was also
increasing disparity across classes and regions; the social sectors were also
neglected there was little or no increase in the level of real wages and social equity
was of little concern.

The consequences of Ayub’s economic policies was that there was a growth and
development the forces of production did expand a proletariat was born and
compared to the earlier periods this was indeed a very Progressive Era in the
evolution of the economic and political process of Pakistan the controversial
repercussions were inherent in built an inevitable.

The Bad Luck Years 1971 1977

Bhutto’s economic policies were more liberal than those of his predecessors and his
nationalization was said to be the major cause for a huge downward trend in growth
in many ways. He was an unlucky politician and events beyond his control affected
his economic program. The economic loss of East Pakistan was strongly felt. West
Pakistan exported 50% of its goods to the eastern wing and acquired a large amount
of foreign exchange from its raw material exports. The period after 1973 saw serious
worldwide recession affecting Pakistan’s exports. Recurring domestic cotton crop
failures and floods in 1973, 1974 and 1976 affected Pakistan’s main exports. The
large nationalized units taken over by Bhutto where the most inefficient in the
industrial sector and despite nationalization industry experienced a reasonable
growth rate with the nationalized sector doing better than most believe. Bhutto’s
government also laid the foundations for future growth and development from which
his successor benefited. Basic industries were set up and a base for capital goods
industry was established which resulted in subsequent growth, the Middle East boom

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which Bhutto initiated, the illiberal economic policies of Bhutto were responsible for
growth not only during his tenure but also in the period after 1977.

The Second Military Government 1977 To 1988

General Zia-ul-haq’s regime was more liberal in economic terms -though certainly
not politically- than any of his predecessors.

In the stable post Bhutto era, high rates of industrial growth were led by the coming
on stream of the earlier investment made by the public sector under Bhutto
especially in Heavy Industries and also by rapid expansion in domestic demand
while the trend to liberalize the economy was escalated consciously in the Zia.

The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, an excessive involvement in Pakistan by the


USA helped ensure that steps were taken to increase growth. Remittances from
Middle East, and aid from abroad helped launch Pakistan’s second economic
revolution, where the middle class emerged as a formidable economic and political
category. By becoming capitalist world's frontline state against all things Soviet and
especially against Soviet expansion in the region. Pakistan’s government gained in
terms of financial aid and resources. However general Zia’s martial rule inflicted
deep rooted damage to Pakistani society creating intolerance an institution shooting
violence from which it still suffers.

Current Economic Situation of Pakistan

When the PTI Government came into power, it inherited an economy with high
current account deficit, reduced tax base and low consumer and investor confidence.
In order to improve the state of the economy, the government promised improving
the state of the economy by providing jobs and affordable housing and fighting
corruption. However, at the end of year one in office, the government was forced to
take an IMF US$ 6 billion loan due to fiscal deficit and BOP crisis. This loan came
with many strings attached such as austerity measures and higher taxes, a tighter
monetary policy, a depreciated rupee and more. Thus, to say the least the economy

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which was apparently inflated in the previous tenure came to its original state and
the economy went into a downturn again.

Currently, the GDP growth rate have further reduced from 5.8% in 2018 to 3% in
2020. Fiscal deficit has increased to Rs3.4 trillion at the end of June 2019. Total
debt and liabilities on the end of June 2018 was Rs30 trillion, which has now gone up
to Rs40 trillion. Inflation which was 3.6% in 2018 has gone up to 12% in 2020 and
the standard of living of people have worsened. Interest rate which was 6.5% in 2018
has hiked up to 13.25%, further aggravating the misery of people. The only positive
thing happened is that the current account deficit which improved from $19,897
million (6.3% of GDP) to $13,508 million (4.8 percent of GDP) in 2020.

Thus, if we summarize the economic history of Pakistan, we can see a lot of


fluctuations and downturns. In periods of high economic growth, the country was
unable to stimulate sustainable growth which could have benefited the country in the
longer run. The entire history was occupied with Pakistan depending on foreign aids
and loans to survive and being unable to garner its competitive advantage. Hence,
the condition in which the economy is now is the resultant of all its previous
negligence and poor policies. (Shaukat, Zameer36, n.d.) (Abbasi, n.d.)

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The Diamond Porter Model

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The Fisheries Sector:

The fishing industry of Pakistan traces back to the Indus civilization with evidences of
a flourishing market. Pakistan has a coastal shelf of 44,000 km 2 and an average
width of 55 km. The total coastline of 990 km is divided into Sindh (220 km) and
Makran (770 km) coasts. In 1976, Pakistan claimed its access to 200 nm (240,000
km2) Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), increasing the area available for fishing. In
addition to this, rivers, natural lakes, reservoirs, and ponds occupy 8 million hectares
of area. According to the World Wildlife Federation, Pakistan is rich in marine life
with approximately over 1,500 species of fish in its waters out of which only 200 are
commercially harvested. The sector also provides direct employment to around
400,000 people and generates economic activity which further employs people (e.g.
transport).

Fig 3-1: Export data from 2001-2019.

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Figure 3-1 shows our export quantity as well as earnings over the last two decades.
It can be seen that while export quantity has risen by almost 140%, export revenue
has risen by more than 250% and given that Total Revenue = Price x Quantity, it
can be said that the prices of our export sea food have risen by almost 110%.

At the time of partition, Pakistan inherited only one fishing trawler and relied on
locally assembled non-mechanized boats. Basic landing facilities were offered at the
Ghas Bandar Native Jetty. However, with time, governments of different time periods
made conscious efforts and today, we have multiple marine harbours – with Karachi
Fisheries Harbour accounting for over 90% of Pakistan’s sea food catch. As of 2019
figures provided by a senior government official, Pakistan’s total fish catch is
650,000 m. tons – with 250,00 m. tons caught in land and 400,000 m. tons obtained
from the sea.

Fig. 3-2: The figure above shows the marine catch from 1999-2007.

Type 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018


Small Pelagic 82,665 82,434 83,501 84,796 89,941
Demersal 171,180 172,953 178,809 192,114 195,831
Large Pelagic 62,678 61,720 61,720 70,192 56,485
Shellfish 39,377 37,452 37,452 36,666 40,508
Total 355,900 354,559 361,482 383,768 382,765
Fig 3-3. Source: Marine Fisheries Department (MFD).
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As observed in the two figures above, Pakistan’s marine catch is on a declining trend
for the last 20 years and this is very alarming given aquaculture is a very fast-
growing sector in most parts of the world. The table also tells us about the kinds of
species found in our seas:
 Pelagic: these are fish that live in the pelagic zone of the ocean: neither too
close to the shore nor too deep in the oceans.
 Demersal: these are fish that live in the bottom regions and occupy the
seabed.
 Shellfish: fish having shells or a shell-like exterior.
Despite great potential, our fisheries have not been able to achieve national
competitive advantage and following are the reasons we believe to have major
contributions:

1. Over Fishing*
a.
2. Absences of Stock Assessment Measures
3. Threat to Coastal and Marine Ecosystems
4. Illegal Fishing (Fishing in breeding season)
5. Aquaculture
6. Obsolete fishing vessels and methods
7. Post-Harvest losses*
8. Processing constraints
9. Packaging faults
10. Lack of Value Addition
11. Lack of infrastructure facilities
12. Hygiene
13. Lack of Home Market Demand
14. Government Mismanagement*
15. Water pollution
16. Water Shortage
17. No aid or subsidies
18. Lack of private investment

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19. No diversification
20. High smuggling
21. Fishermen Issues

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OVERFISHING

Put in simple terms, overfishing refers to fishing certain types of fish at a higher rate
than the time taken for them to restore naturally. And/or harvesting at a higher rate
than the ocean can sustain. As a result, aquatic environment faces major ecological
consequences.

According to FRAPP (Fisheries Resource Appraisal in Pakistan Project), fisheries


production in Pakistan’s marine waters is decreasing at a much faster rate than
expected. Major marine fisheries are either fully or overexploited. Most of the fish
stocks face considerable overfishing and in some instances are already depleted.
The problem of overfishing has stemmed out primarily from the neglect of authorities
with legal powers and unmonitored planning and policy implementation. Overfishing
can be further categorized in to two:

1. Deep-sea overfishing 2. Coastal/creek overfishing

1. Deep-sea overfishing

To fully explain how deep-sea over-fishing in works in Pakistan, there are many sub-
issues that play an integral role in the make-up of this issue. Such as:

i. Fishing for trash fish (used in fishmeal production)


ii. Illegal Trawling
iii. Front Manship/Fronting (illegal licensing)
iv. Excessive Number of Fleets

Trawl -Nets:

Trawl nets are of two types too: the pelagic or mid-water trawl nets and otter-trawl or
bottom-trawl nets. They are used for capturing pelagic fish and demersal fish
respectively. The net is lowered by the pair of nylon ropes called warps, which are
connected to two wooden otter boards which keep the net open while it is being
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dragged on the bottom. The fish are collected by untying the cod-end of the net. The
length of the average Pakistani trawl net is 23-30 m feet are operated in depths of
about 50 m, mesh size is about 2.5cm.

G
u jj
a

Nets/Katra Nets:

Nets such as Bhulo Gujjo and Katra were banned in Pakistan in the year 1995 but
due to lack of surveillance over the right use of nets by the concerned authorities, it
is still being used by many fishermen. These nets cause a bycatch of more than 70%
capture. More than 1000kg of trash fish is taken out every day from Karachi Fish
Harbor. These nets have very small holes leading to the catches of eggs, juvenile
fish and small demersal fish species. The supreme court has recently, 25th March
2019, tightened the authorities and asked them to arrest the fishermen who use
banned nets.

Trawlers: These are up to 200 hp powered engines carrying a trawl net, which, as
described above, is trawled/dragged along the bottom of the ocean. Although it has a
high rate of catch, it also has high rate of by-catch. Shrimp trawling is known to be
responsible for the highest by-catch.

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Fishing for Trash Fish

The EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone) for Pakistan starts from the coast and up to
200 Nautical Miles. Trawlers with proper licensing are permitted to fish in zone III:
also called Deep-sea Fishing zone.

These Trawlers when at sea go on to fish species down the chain. They do so by
using bottom trawl nets, which remove juvenile fish for use in fishmeal production,
reducing later adult stocks that could be harvested for higher value. This has a three-
fold effect on the aquatic ecosystems:

Firstly, trawling is unselective and severely damaging to seafloor habitats that give
marine species food and shelter, leaving the marine ecosystem permanently
damaged. Secondly, these small species are harvested at a rate at which they are
unable to reproduce, which creates an imbalance in marine life, leading to depletion
of species. Thirdly and most importantly, once these juvenile fish are harvested other
big species that prey on these small species are discouraged pushing them to
migrate in search of alternate food sources. Leaving the Pakistani waters devoid of
rich marine life and adding to the extinction of the right species. This practice is a
major contributor towards the issue of stock diminishment.

Issue of Licensing and number of fleets


This is a very detrimental issue as Pakistan’s marine waters are populated with
fishing vessels. To understand this best, I’ve explained herewith three issues

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simultaneously and have tried to link it with as to how it contributes to the larger
problem, which is overfishing.
 Front Manship/fronting
 Increased number of trawlers
 Fishing for specific fish
 Illegal trawling

In the Fishing Industrial framework, the provincial governments grant licenses and
permits to companies so that these companies can fish in Pakistan’s marine waters.
Few Foreign Vessels are licensed under the names of local people who act as front
men for these companies which are based in China, Japan, Middle East etc. This
way these companies are exempted from taxes thereby reducing their cost of
production. These foreign companies don’t have to go through the tiresome
procedures of hiring and training new labour forces. The front men on whose name
the company is registered does the task for them.

Ideally when a company is given out a license, they are allowed maximum of two
trawlers in the sea. Unfortunately, in Pakistan’s case the evidence suggests
otherwise. Instead of two trawlers at sea, each company has 10 trawlers at sea,
busy fishing out the marine resources day and night. Let alone their usage of banned
nets. This practice has contributed immensely towards the increased number of
vessels at sea.

Another problem arises when these foreign vessels are instructed to fish out certain
types of fish. Keeping in mind that due to depletion and extinction of marine resource
these fishermen are largely unaware of the kind of specie they are likely to catch, as
a result when these fishermen are ordered to fish certain species (especially prawns
and shrimps) these trawling fleets lower their bottom trawl nets to catch as much as
possible. It is said that 90% of the by-catch is exportable. Trawling as we have seen
above is severely damaging to sea-floor habitats that give marine species food and
shelter, leaving the marine ecosystem permanently damaged. Once these fleets are
done filling their nets and the catch is bought to the trawler, the unwanted specie is

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either sorted for trash fishing or is tossed back in the sea, polluting the marine life to
suffer indefinitely.

Few foreign vessels are said to enter zone III without proper license from the
government and some even enter Zone I and II secretly with the help of local alibi:
local firms.

Zone I and II are protected for local fishermen, the government wants to give them a
sense of security and an equal chance at earning a living for their families. But this
sense of security is threatened when these deep-sea trawlers creep into zone I and
zone II overnight and fish out using bottom trawl nets. Exploiting and destroying the
sea-floor habitat. This illegal trawling also goes on into Baluchistan’s waters. Greatly
contributing towards feelings of animosity and stock diminishment.

2. Overfishing at Creeks

Creeks: Creeks are formed by downward incision of water when it flows from inland
to the shore. As the water flows downwards, tidal creeks deposit sediment, Fresh
water mixes with sea water to become brackish water, where the water maintains a
freshwater level of 1 and a saltwater level of 1.025.

As in the case of Pakistan, The Indus Delta forms where the Indus River flows into
the Arabian Sea, creating a complex system of swamps, streams and mangrove
forests. The Indus is the 5th largest delta system in the world and has the 7th largest
mangrove forest system.

Mangrove swamps and creeks are extremely important breeding grounds for many
fish. In layman’s terms creeks are a safe haven for many breeding fish. These
creeks have optimal temperatures for aquatic species to breed, nearby mangroves
provide source of feed to these breeding fish. Pakistan has 14 major creeks and
many other minor creeks.

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THREATS TO COASTAL AND MARINE ECOSYSTEMS

Marine and coastal ecosystems possess serious threats. Excessive exploitation by


fishermen, government mismanagement, and water pollution have caused mangrove
degradation. This puts aquatic species that depend on these ecosystems at an open
risk.

Threats to mangroves in the Indus Delta are of a particular concern due to its role in
providing habitat for breeding fish. Mangroves are spread over an estimated of
160,000 hectares of the Indus Delta and depend on fresh water flows from the Indus
River. According to one source, “An estimated 80 percent of fish caught in coastal
waters spend part of their life cycles in mangrove creeks or depend on the food web
within the mangrove ecosystem” (Abbas et al. 2017). These mangroves have greatly
declined in extent and variety. Meaning there has been reduction in freshwater flow
from Indus, a rich nutritional source which helps maintain optimal conditions for
breeding fish. Reduced inflow of fresh water coupled with unfavorable aquatic
conditions has led to increase in salinity which has in turn caused shrinkages in the
estuaries affecting the species that breed in them. In the 1970s, the total area of the
delta covered by mangroves was more than 30 percent larger than today; Of eight
species observed in surveys in the 1960s, only three remained in 1996 (Kidwai et al.
2016).

These declines branch out from human alterations of rivers such as the construction
of barrages and dams on the Indus, coastal urbanization, and climate change.
Industrial and domestic pollution is also a major hazard to aquatic ecosystems.
Karachi produces almost 500 million gallons of wastewater per day, one-fifth of
which is industrial waste. This waste is discharged into coastal waters. As much as
87 percent of hazardous waste from industries flows into the Arabian Sea untreated.
Karachi generates a further 12,000 tons of municipal solid waste daily, much of
which ends up in coastal waters. All of this leads to the much-added pressure on the
marine life.

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AQUACULTURE

Aquaculture Falls under inland farming; a provincial matter, in which they oversee
supply of fish seeds and operate hatcheries.

Aquaculture is the breeding of fish in controlled conditions and is becoming


increasingly significant. There lies great untapped potential for development in the
provinces of Punjab, Sindh and to a lesser extent KPK, the total number of farms in
all provinces being approximately 13 000.

Although the fish farming through culture in ponds, and other natural water bodies
has been practiced for several decades, it is only during the last two decades that
push for further development can be seen with about 60 470 ha of freshwater ponds
being used for fish culture. Some features are that the standard size of a pond is 1
kanal in which one can breed around 150- 200 fishes. The depth of a pond is usually
around 2-3 ft. Fish seeds or small fishes are bought from government hatcheries and
nurseries with 1rs per inch (2016 rate). The culture (the period in which fishes are
grown and are harvested) is usually of 9 months and fish is of around 1kg. Usually
rice powder is used as feed which is very cheap around 800 for 40 kgs. Fishes
require less care and can easily grow so people do fish farming as a side business.
There are four types of fish farms in Pakistan:

1) Extensive fish farms: The most basic and the oldest type of fish farm is
extensive in which there is 2-3 ft depth of a 1 kanal pond where 120-150 fishes are
grown and the ponds are fertilized by using urea also animal waste is used and
fishes are harvested at around 1 kg in a year moreover it requires less care and is
easy to manage.
2) Semi Intensive fish farm: In this farm the dept is increased to 3-5 ft so one can
breed a greater number of fishes (150-180) or have the same number as in
extensive and get more weight 1.5kgs as when fishes get more space to move, they
grow more.
3) Intensive fish farm: The major difference from semi intensive in this type is that
the pond size is increases to 5-7 ft and feed is used which is around 3% of the body

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weight of fishes which allows the fishes to grow quickly and also feed doesn't get
wasted.
4) Super intensive fish farm: This type of farm is more common in developed
countries because in this farm latest cutting-edge technology is used like aerators
which are used to maintain the oxygen level of the water and other technologies that
detect any impurities in the water or any disease. The depth of this farm is around
10-12 ft.

Grass, Rahu, Thela and silver are most common fishes used in fish farming because
they give a low FCR (Feed conversion ratio) that how much a fish consumes feed to
produce 1 kg of weight. The lower the better. Silver has the best FCR among others.
Avg FCR is 1.5.

Trout fish farming is becoming famous in northern areas of Pakistan particularly


Swat as Swat’s trout farming industry is booming. Trout fish is not indigenous to
Pakistan It requires cold temperatures. It is found in Pacific Ocean and tributaries of
it which flow in Pakistan's northern side. Trout fish farming started in 1980's currently
there are 63 trout fish farms in Pakistan and is expected to double in next 5 years.

Shrimp farming is a recent phenomenon in Pakistan as first shrimp farming project


was initiated in 2016 in an area called Bhanbore near Delta (where Indus river flows
into Arabian sea) it was a private plus government venture where government
provided land and private investors took care of other things. Out of huge land of
1000 acres only 25 acres were initially used for shrimp farming and the culture went
successful as the shrimp export earned more than previously.

Major challenges for fisheries sector in Pakistan Aquaculture

The sector is still in its primary stages in Pakistan, but the development does not
meet with the potential. The challenge that aquaculture faces in Pakistan is complex
in nature. It branches out from many other interlinked issues which run parallel to this
central issue: Aquaculture.
Numerous factors restrain the aquaculture development such as:

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1. Lack of coordination among institutions including Government, Non-governmental
organizations, Research, institutes and Universities.
2. Shortage of national and International research projects as well as experts,
especially in the areas of production system, Fish nutrition, fish diseases and fish
genetics.
3. Lack of technical services to fish farmers such as training packages and
materials including with inadequate capacity.
4. Limited budget for basic research and development projects.
5. Insufficient scientific awareness to design aquaculture research and development
projects.
6. Improper fishery policy and guidelines for the developing aquaculture.
7. Expensive commercially produced seed and lack of quality fish seed.
8. Lack of interest of private sector.
9. Highest per unit cost due to improper management of production units.
10. Poor assess to market and extension services.
11. Little priority given to aquaculture development in national development
programs.

Post-Harvest Losses

Pakistan faces over 80% post-harvest losses in the fisheries sector. These are due
to unhygienic handling practices on-board and at the harbour, lack of processing and
chilling facilities, and lastly, due to lack of value addition. Post-Harvest losses can
occur in the form of physical loss of fish, quality loss and market forces loss. Physical
loss is when fish is thrown away after catching or landing. This is either because of
insect/bird infestation, theft or catch falling off into water while unloading. Quality loss
occurs when fish is either spoiled or physically damaged. This is the most common
type of loss in Pakistan and such fish fetches low value in the market. This is due to
poor handling practices which are discussed in detail in this chapter. Market force loss
is a loss caused by unexpected market demand and supply situations. [ CITATION Luc11
\l 1033 ]

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Pg.
Fish is a highly perishable item as spoilage of fish begins if it’s not kept under 5°C for
more than twenty minutes. Therefore, an efficient cool chain management system is
essential to maintain the quality and freshness of the fish. Indicators of stale fish are
a bad smell, meat turning into a red colour, and fish going limp if held from the tail.

Unhygienic Handling practices on-board:

 Many fishing vessels stay out at sea for 3-4 weeks with poor storage and
chilling facilities onboard. This is because fishermen earn very little income
and since the catch has shrunk, fishermen have to stay at sea for longer
duration. Fisheries Cooperative Society Employees’ Union general secretary
Saeed Baloch said that ‘boast owners have to purchase fuel and ice from third
parties, hence they are 10 to 20% costlier’. This accounts for why few
fishermen use ice onboard fishing vessels. Those who can afford ice, apply
crushed ice as opposed to flake ice. This is because they wrongly assume
that block ice (later crushed on board) melts slower than flake ice. [ CITATION
Fai12 \l 1033 ]
 The fish is either stored in un-insulated wooden boxes or fish holds insulated
using thermopile covered with galvanized iron sheets attached to the hull
frames. G.I sheets corrode causing bacteria to breed in them. The catch is
preserved in the compartments commonly known as ‘Galas’ and stowed on
top of each other with layers of ice, in the form of a heap as high as 6 to 8 ft.
Crushed block ice has sharp corners which damages the skin of the fish. In
heaped stowage, the bottom catch partially bursts open due to pressure from
above and contaminates quality of entire catch of ‘gala’[ CITATION Mar \l 1033 ]

Handling and Hygiene conditions at the harbour

There are two major harbours in Sindh Province (Karachi and Korangi)—and two in
Baluchistan (Gwadar and Pasni). Karachi harbour is the largest with 80-90 % of the
industrial fishing fleet, mostly shrimp trawlers and larger gillnetters, operating here.
The harbour is overcrowded and there is no system of vessel movement as fishing

24
Pg.
vessels stay at the jetty for 3-4 days. There are a total number of 16000 fishing boats
operating here.

Facilities at the harbour include: Crate-washing facilities, 10 floating piers, 25


processing factories having an area of approximately 50,000 sq. meters, a slipway
for maintenance and repair of large vessels, a flake ice plant with 40 tonnes/day
capacity, and three 6,000-sq meter fish auction halls with cold stores. Majority of
these facilities, however, are in deplorable condition and are unable to satisfy the
demand for fish.
[ CITATION Wor18 \l 1033 ]

Korangi Fish Harbour was developed in 1996 based on the concept of a seafood
cluster. Korangi Harbour was originally planned as the site due to it serving as a
higher value capture port. The plan proposed that the seafood hub would entail:
1. Co-location of business services and input suppliers including cold storage,
co-packing, packaging suppliers, staff catering technology, sanitation
services, and quality control laboratories.
2. Official certification, pre-shipment inspection, transport services, and freight
forwarding agents.
3. Investment in a range of processing activities to utilize fish landed.
4. Development of public infrastructure such as, utilities, fuel supply, roads,
lighting, boat repair and security.[ CITATION Wor18 \l 1033 ]

Unfortunately, the plan wasn’t fully implemented due to lack of investment and
various institutional issues. Its objective was to relieve congestion at Karachi Fish
Harbour, however since it’s not fully operational, it has been unable to achieve that
purpose. Korangi Harbour if fully utilized, could help decrease cost of production in
business activities and help in facilitating the creation of new ideas, business, and
research that ultimately increases value-addition.

Gwadar and Pasni fishing harbours, were established by the Baluchistan Coastal
Development Authority. They have a lot of potential in terms of generating export but
they lack proper marketing and processing facilities.

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Pg.
 After landing at Karachi Fish Harbour, the catch is kept on the floor in the high
temperature. According to best international practices, fish can be stored at
20 degrees without ice for only 10 minutes. Any longer than that renders it
unfit for human consumption. The auction for fish is held on floor without ice
as seen in the picture below

 Measures to control pests and birds fall short and as a result there is insect
infestation of drying and dried fish products. Fresh fish that is traditionally sun
dried is susceptible to attack from blowflies, which lay their eggs on the fish.
These eggs hatch into maggots (larvae) that feed on the fish flesh. This
causes a massacre of fish resources.
 There are no peeling sheds for pre-processing industries like shrimp peeling
or a proper space for sorting, grading, de-icing. The following pictures show
the differences in standards of shrimp peeling in Pakistan versus other
countries.
 There is insufficient washing of trolleys and auction crates. Workers don’t
have proper toilet/sanitation facilities and they examine the quality of the fish
by touching with their feet.
 Even though there are ice facilities available at the harbour, the ice is made
from unchlorinated water and crushed in unhygienic conditions.

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Pg.
Lack of Infrastructure for Chilling and Processing

Marine fish is marketed as canned, fresh, cured, and frozen reduced to fishmeal,
other purposes, and some kept by fishermen for their own use. The freshwater catch
is marketed fresh for local consumption. In 2006, the percentage of human
consumption of marine fish ranged between 65-70%.[ CITATION Web19 \l 1033 ] The
rest was used for other purposes especially fishmeal. Fish and shrimp processing is
generally divided into mechanical and non-mechanical processing. The mechanical
sector includes freezing plants, canning, fishmeal plants and fish liver oil extraction
plants. The non-mechanical sector includes dried fish, dried shrimp, shark-fin, fish
maw/stomach, live lobster, live crab and fish roes /ovaries. [ CITATION Fis \l 1033 ]

There are 29 processing plants for the production of frozen products in Pakistan, one
for canning and 8 for fishmeal processing. Almost 100 % of the frozen and canned
fishery products are exported, while majority of the processed fishmeal is used in the
country in the manufacture of poultry feed or fish feed.

 The 29 processing units in Pakistan having limited storage capacity of 10000


tons. Out of these 25 are located in Karachi. Most of these processing
facilities use outdated machinery such as second hand Blast and plate
freezers (mostly 10-15 years old). In other countries, Individual Quick
Freezing (IQF) technique is the most common and cost-effective method. It
freezes the product in 3-8 minutes and increases the shelf-life of the product
to 6-8 months. This process is the most recommended form of freezing and
EU has made it a pre-requisite for imports. On the other hand, Blast and plate
freezers used in Pakistan, take up to 8 hours to freeze the fish, consuming
double the amount of electricity as compared to IQF. [ CITATION Rav16 \l 1033 ]
 Pakistan is far behind in technological advancements in the fisheries sector as
compared to its international competitors. High-tech machines like vision
technology, electronic scales, automatic skinning and filleting machines, etc.
and methods including control of temperature using ice, refrigeration or

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Pg.
freezing, controlling water activity by drying, salting, free-drying or smoking,
physically or chemically controlling microbial loads through heating and
vacuum packaging are rarely used in Pakistan.
 Traditional packaging materials are used for packaging fresh and processed
fish for local and a limited export market. These include materials like bamboo
baskets, wooden boxed, second hand ply-wood cases, screw pine mats and
gunnies, etc. as opposed to vacuum plastic bags used internationally. It is
vital for us to adopt scientific methods of packaging for perishable products
such as fish to get us back on our competition line in the international
markets.

EU countries, United States, and Japan are the world’s largest export markets for
seafood, yet currently, they account for less than 3 % of Pakistan’s fisheries export
earnings (approx. US$9.3 million yearly)
Hazard Analysis and critical control points (HACCP) and Sanitary and Phyto-
Sanitary measures (SPS), are followed poorly in Pakistan. Due to this, EU imposed a
ban on seafood imports from Pakistan causing a loss of $2.314 million in FY2012-13.
As a result of the ban, eight processing facilities have upgraded their supply chain
management system to ensure better hygiene and quality such as Kanpa Sales
International Ltd. However, other processing and chilling facilities still produce fish-
products without following adequate food-safety protocols.

As we learnt in Porter’s Diamond Model, an industry achieves sustainable


competitiveness when its basic factors are turned into advanced factors. We are
unable to attain that position because firstly, there is absence of training facilities to
educate the fishermen in the handling process of the fish. Moreover, there is also a
lack of capital investment towards advanced machinery and packaging for the
processing industry

Lack of Value Addition:

Improved value-addition is one of the most feasible ways to increase the contribution
of fisheries to the economy. However, due to food safety challenges in supply chain
management and outdated processing facilities, Pakistan is unable to attain higher

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Pg.
value for its products. It focuses on low-value markets like Southeast Asia as
opposed to the highly profitable EU countries and USA in terms of exports. Besides
that, there are a number of factors hindering value addition:

1) Too much focus on fishmeal

The most valuable products are fresh, intended for direct human consumption
(accounting for 53% of global production), then frozen fish (26 %), canned fish
(11%), and cured fish (10%). Different levels of processing generate different
value multipliers with important implications for the future growth in fishery
exports. [ CITATION Wor18 \l 1033 ]

As seen from the table, fishmeal has the lowest relative value addition.
Despite that, 60% of marine production goes towards fishmeal sector. Too
many fishmeal plants are operating in Pakistan which drives demand for input
material through overfishing. This results in catching of juveniles of premium
species of demersal fish, such as croakers, threadfin beams, and small
pelagic fish leading to a major loss of nutrition and value added to the
Pakistani fishery sector, estimated at US$60 million per year.

2) Lack of research and development towards value-added products

Only a few processing plants are focused in modern value added fish
products like breaded buttered shrimps, fish fingers, fish cakes, fish paste,

29
Pg.
fish sauce or surimi products. Adding to that, very few research and
development institutes are working to develop innovative products like fish
and shrimp stock cubes. As compared to Pakistan, other countries are far-
ahead in the value addition process such as Bangladesh who recently
developed Hilsa fish soup and noodles. [ CITATION Ame18 \l 1033 ]

2) Less focus on Tuna processing

Annual production of tuna in Pakistan is about 71,000 m. tons. In total, there


are 8 tuna species found in Pakistan, out of which 70% are yellow fin, skipjack
and long tail tuna. Besides that kawakawa, frigate tuna, bullet tuna and
stripped tuna were other tuna species found in Pakistani waters.[ CITATION
Daw18 \l 1033 ]. The international market for high-quality tuna is increasing. It
can be exported in many forms including chilled, chunks, loins and for
sashimi. Besides that, there is large demand for canned Tuna in Iran and
Central Asia. It can even be exported as a raw material to canning factories in
Western African
countries and Thailand.
Despite its global
importance, Pakistan is
losing a major export
source due to improper
handling and
processing facilities for
tuna and un-compliance
with Indian Ocean Tuna
Commission.
Opportunities are lost, firstly, through the practice of smuggling tuna to Iranian
vessels. Pakistani vessel operators report that they are unable to legally land
product in Iranian ports, which would allow their product to be registered as an
export. Secondly, Pakistan sells Tuna at a very low price as compared to
abroad as there is lack of investment in tuna processing facilities.

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Pg.
Lack of Home Demand

According to Michael Porter, home market demand for a product or an industry leads
to firms striving for innovation and improvement. The Diamond Model places an
emphasis on the market size, growth rate, and sophistication as these factors play a
very important role in getting a completive advantage. For instance, Germany has a
competitive advantage in making cars and while there are a number of factors
affecting it, the no speed limit roads and the interest of German people in high quality
cars has always put a pressure, in a positive way, on its car industry. As a result of
this sophisticated home demand, Germany is one of the leading cars manufactures
of the world with companies like Mercedes Benz, BMW, and Volkswagen. Similarly,
Italy has a competitive advantage in the fashion industry. Italian shoes and their cloth
are said to be one of the finest in the world and their sophisticated home demand
has a very important role in it. Other examples include Switzerland’s competitive
advantage in chocolates and Sweden’s in dairy products. The people in these
countries value fine quality and their sophisticated demand encourages companies
to be innovative, unique, and productive.

In Pakistan, unfortunately, the aquaculture industry does not have that market
sophistication and neither does it have a large market. Aquaculture’s contribution to
the GDP is less than 1% and the current annual growth stands at 1.5% compared to
6.8% and 9.5% of India and Bangladesh, respectively[ CITATION Ami19 \l 1033 ].
There are different reasons for this, and they include the following:

1. There are various religious beliefs pertaining to fish consumption in Pakistan.


Some Muslims believe that fish that do not have scales in them are forbidden
for consumption. This means that consumption of shrimps, prawns, and
lobsters is forbidden for many people in Pakistan and this plays a role in low
market demand in Pakistan.
2. Fish is believed to be a warm-blooded specie (it has a warm “taseer”) by
many people in Pakistan and they avoid consumption of fish in summers.
Given the climatic conditions of Pakistan, majority of the population lies in
areas with warm/hot weather for most of the year. Although this
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Pg.
argument/belief has no scientific evidence, but it’s believed by a lot of people
and this plays a role in low demand for fish in Pakistan.
3. Another very common misconception that is widely believed by people in
Pakistan, including one of our group members for half of his life (Hamza), is
that consumption of fish after or before drinking milk can result in an allergy,
leading to permanent white/pink patches on your skin. As convincing as it may
sound to many people, it is completely fallacious but unfortunately, it is one of
the factors behind low demand for fish in Pakistan.
4. Another reason behind low fish demand in Pakistan is the strong odour
associated with fish. This odour results from bacteria on fish surface
converting Trimethylamine N-oxide into stinky Trimethylamine. Many
households do not cook fish meals in their house as they are afraid of the
odour while some people avoid consuming fish altogether.

The reasons listed above along with various other non-demand related reasons are
a cause for Pakistan’s low per capita fish consumption of 2kg, as compared to a
global average of 21kg[ CITATION The18 \l 1033 ].

Government Mismanagement

Governments have a critical role in the development of any sector in an economy


and is one of the factors emphasised by Michael Porter in the Diamond Model too.
Government policies, appointments, and regulations can change the dynamics of an
industry. They act as catalysts to improve a country’s competitiveness in the global
markets. A very serious issue faced by the fisheries sector is related to human
resource mismanagement. According to a senior government official, over the last 10
years, a large number of government officers and stuff employed in the fisheries
sector have retired and there is no appropriate replacement. There is a shortage of
officials in the pipeline and as a result, various important positions in the fisheries
sector are either unmanned or given to another official, with no fisheries experience,
as an additional charge. There used to a ban on recruitment for more than 25 years
between the 1980’s and 2000, resulting in a major human resource vacuum in the

32
Pg.
fisheries sector. There is a serious dearth of technical manpower in the fisheries
sector as well. Currently, there is no Director General in Marine Fisheries
Department (Federal Government agency) and in Balochistan Fisheries Department;
ad hoc arrangements have been made for filling in the gap for these decision taking
appointments. The people who are given the look after/additional charge of these
departments have no experience or background of fisheries which is a highly
dynamic field. The situation in other provincial departments is no different either.

There is also an issue of duplication of managerial efforts and lack of uniformity in


the management of fisheries institutions. For example, the administration of fish
harbours lies within the jurisdiction of different departments. The following table
shows the control of Fish Harbours by different Ministries and Authorities:

S. No. Fish Harbour Controlling Government Controlling


Authority Agency/Department Government
1 Karachi Fish Karachi Fish Livestock and Government of
Harbour Harbour Fisheries Department Sindh
Authority
2 Ibrahim Hayderi Union Council Local Government Government of
Fish Landing Sindh
Center
3 Korangi Fish Korangi Ministry of Maritime Government of
Harbour Fisheries Affairs Pakistan
Harbour
Authority
4. Keti Bundar/Kharo Livestock and Livestock and Government of
Chan/Darya Pir + Fisheries Fisheries Department Sindh
4 more jetties Department
5. Private Jetties in Privately owned No control No control
Ibrahim Hayderi
(10)
6. Gwadar Fish Gwadar Port Government of Government of
Harbor and Mini Authority Balochistan Balochistan
Port
7. Pasni Fisheries Pasni Fisheries Coastal Development Government of
Harbour Harbour and Fisheries Balochistan
Authority Department

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Pg.
8. Damb Fish Balochistan Coastal Development Government of
Harbour Coastal and Fisheries Balochistan
(Sonminai) Development Department
(incomplete since Authority
2003)
8. Gaddani Fish Balochistan Coastal Development Government of
Harbour Coastal and Fisheries Balochistan
(incomplete since Development Department
2003) Authority
9. Jiwani Fish Balochistan Coastal Development Government of
Harbour Coastal and Fisheries Balochistan
(incomplete since Development Department
2003) Authority
10. Bundewari Hub Power Coastal Development Government of
Landing Jetty Plant and Fisheries Balochistan
Department
11. Surbandar Fish Gwadar Chief Minister Government of
Harbour Development Secretariat Balochistan
Authority
12. Pushukan Fish Gwadar Chief Minister Government of
Harbour Development Secretariat Balochistan
Authority
13. Gwadar West Bay Gwadar Chief Minister Government of
landing area Development Secretariat Balochistan
Authority
Source: Marine Fisheries Department (MFD)

The above Table is reflective of the situation prevailing in fisheries sector. This is just
one example. The fisheries sector is full of such duplication of efforts and
overlapping jurisdictions, which is considered as a major issue in the management of
fisheries in Pakistan.

Another area of overlapping jurisdiction is in the sea. As per the constitution of


Pakistan, the sea area up to 12 nautical miles, the territorial area, is under the
jurisdiction of provincial governments whereas area beyond territorial waters, the
Exclusive Economic Zone, falls under the jurisdiction of the Federal Government.
Despite this clear jurisdictional control, fishing vessels permitted/licensed by

34
Pg.
Provincial Government operate in the Exclusive Economic Zone without a Federal
Government permit. While it does not look like a very alarming issue if an incident
happens to a boat that is operating in the Exclusive Economic Zone without
approval, there would be major blame games with neither governments taking any
responsibility. This can lead to political problems and can possibly make the industry
very uncertain and unstable.

The overlapping jurisdictions resulting in neither of the institutions involved taking


responsibility has also resulted in negligence of fish and shrimp farming in coastal
and offshore areas. In Pakistan, a number of attempts have been made to initiate
aquaculture in the coastal areas but have failed due to management issues,
overlapping jurisdiction and lack of commitment. As a matter of fact, there is
absolutely zero farming of shellfish in Pakistan.

Water Pollution

Water pollution poses a serious threat to the fishing industry of Pakistan and
governments either fail to identify the issue or fail to implement laws that are in.
Pollution of water bodies affects the fishing industry in many ways but first, let’s
discuss the main causes of water
pollution. Industrial units throughout
the country dispose of their waste
without proper treatment and this
waste contains toxic chemicals that
have serious consequences on the
marine life. Industrial waste affects
both fresh water and sea water fishing
as industries up north dump their
waste in streams leading to a major river (Indus/Kabul) or a lake. According to a lab
report from Punjab Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), almost all of the
industrial units in Punjab are violating the Punjab Environmental Quality Standards
(PEQS) by disposing off their waste in an untreated manner[ CITATION Ran17 \l 1033 ].

35
Pg.
Source: Pakistan Today. Industrial Waste being dumped into a canal in Punjab.

On the other hand, Karachi has over 10,000 industrial units and almost all of them
dump their waste into the sea. From cotton factories to chemicals and paints, all
waste is thrown into the sea, untreated. To top it off, Karachi's huge population
results in a huge amount of solid waste and sewerage which is also dumped into the
sea, untreated. This solid waste, especially plastic, is swallowed by marine species,
choking them to death. Toxic chemicals from industrial waste are also swallowed by
marine species which results in either death of the fish or it poses a serious risk to
humans who consume that fish.

According to a report, the Indus River of Pakistan, which is the largest river of the
country, is currently the second most polluted river in the world. Pakistan consumes
more than 55 Billion plastic bags every year and since the river flows through most
parts of the country, a large majority ends up in the river and then finally in the
Arabian Sea. These plastic bags destroy freshwater species as well as valuable
marine species in the Arabian Sea[CITATION Ind19 \l 1033 ]. Furthermore, according
to the World Economic Forum, 90% of the plastic pollution in oceans comes from just
10 rivers, with Indus being one of them[ CITATION Gra18 \l 1033 ].

Furthermore, another serious source of water pollution in the sea is oil spills. In
2003, a 67500 tons oil tanker – MT Tasman Spirit - broke and spilled 33,000 tons of
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Pg.
oil into the Arabian Sea. The oil spill polluted 16 km of the coastline and almost all
fish and birds in the area were killed. Several experts believe that the marine
ecosystem is still experiencing the aftereffects of that oil spill, coupled by various
other oil spills. Another incident of oil spillage close to Karachi occurred in 2019
also, when a large area of water along coast became polluted, resulting into
perishing of fish species. Unfortunately, concerned authorities haven’t yet been able
to develop capacity to cleanse sea surface/ contain spread of spilled oil immediately.
The following pictures show the adverse effects of oil spills in Pakistan.

Source: Telesur.com
Source: Mangobaaz

Oil spills and dumping of waste into our water bodies reduces our potential of
converting our basic factor (fish/natural resource) to an advanced factor. Since our
natural resource is compromised from the source, there is very less potential of
converting it some value-added product and according to Porter, a factor can lead to
a competitive advantage only if it is converted to advanced factor. Furthermore, oil
spills are events that cannot be predicted and are very much random, bringing in the
chance component of the Porter’s model. These completely random and
unpredictable incidents can significantly affect the performance of the entire sector
and serve as a serious disadvantage for national competitive advantage, if any.

37
Pg.
Sea Pollution leads to another serious
problem as well. According to Rear
Admiral Zaka Ur Rehman, Director
General Pakistan Maritime Security
Agency, dumping of waste into the sea
results in a decline in fish stock near the
coast and in the creek areas and
fishermen are forced to go out in the
open sea. As a result, very often they
enter the territorial waters of India and
are captured by the Indian Navy. They are treated as prisoners by the Indian
government and due to political reasons, it takes months and years for them to be
freed while their families suffer emotionally and economically.

Lastly, fish farming in Pakistan is a small part of the fishing industry. Fish farming
relies on water from rivers/lakes and when Industries dump their waste into these
water bodies, fish farming is also affected. The quality and quantity both of fish
produced by fish farms take a toll and as a result, these farms operate well below
their potential as their main natural resource (water) is compromised.

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Pg.
Recommendations

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Pg.
Bibliography

1. Ahmed, A. (2019, March 11). Why our fisheries are underperforming. Retrieved from
DAWN: https://www.dawn.com/news/1468760
2. NayaDaur. (2019, May 02). Indus Is Second Most Polluted River In The World And
Pakistan Uses 55 Billion Plastic Bags Annually. From NayaDaur.tv:
https://nayadaur.tv/2019/05/indus-is-second-most-polluted-river-in-the-world-and-
pakistan-uses-55-billion-plastic-bags-annually/
3. Gray, A. (2018, June 08). 90% of plastic polluting our oceans comes from just 10
rivers. From World Economic Forum:
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/06/90-of-plastic-polluting-our-oceans-
comes-from-just-10-rivers/
4. The News. (2018, November 07). Aquacultre an untapped sector. From The News
International: https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/390768-aquaculture-an-
untapped-sector
5. Randhawa, S. (2017, August 02). Multinational groups polluting water in Punjab .
From Pakistan Today:
https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2017/08/02/multinational-groups-polluting-
water-in-punjab/

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Pg.

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