KARACHI: Depleting fish resources could be protected only through sustainable practices that need to be enforced through a policy, said speakers at a two-day workshop which began at a hotel here on Wednesday.

They also stressed the need to resolve the trans-boundary issue of marine waters.

The event was organised by the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum (PFF) with the objective to finalise the draft of the fisheries policy being prepared with inputs from all stakeholders, including marine experts, members of the fishing communities and government officials.

Starting the programme, Aly Ercelan representing the PFF shared some key features of the draft of the fisheries policy that had been prepared by the fisherfolk forum under the guidelines set by the Food and Agriculture Organisation.

He expressed the hope that the debate at the community level and feedback from stakeholders would help improve the draft and the government would adopt it and ensure its implementation.

The draft on the fisheries policy recommends to the government to address issues relating to occupational health safety by ensuring that the necessary legislation is in place and is implemented in accordance with the relevant conventions of the International Labour Organisation.

The government, it says, should promote investment in appropriate infrastructures and capacity development programmes that could enable the small-scale post-harvest sector to produce quality products, both for local markets and export.

It also calls upon the government to bring about a paradigm shift in the way fisheries are regulated and managed. A clear policy in the sector would help in fish resources’ sustainability and improve livelihood of fishers as well.

“All parties should recognise the need for integrated and holistic approach to governance and development that take the complexity of livelihoods into consideration and are based on a human rights perspective.

“Increased attention to social development (health, education, organisational development and empowerment, etc) is needed to ensure that small-scale fishing communities are empowered and that their members can enjoy their rights as equal human beings and members of society,” the policy draft says.

The presentation on the policy draft was followed by a detailed discussion which was participated by representatives from the World Wide Fund of Nature-Pakistan, Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research, Strengthening Participatory Organisation, ActionAid Pakistan and Oxfam. Sindh additional secretary for inland fisheries Mustafa Gurgaiz also gave his comments.

Speakers highlighted how small-scale fishermen were vulnerable and were failing to protect their right to life and livelihood because of the absence of a fisheries policy. They pointed out that though a number of departments relating to fisheries were functioning (Sindh fisheries department, marine fisheries department, inland fisheries and the Karachi Fisheries Habour Authority and Fishermen Cooperative Society), they had repeatedly failed in one way or another to protect fish stock through proper management, they said.

One major reason for the failure, they said, was lack of implementation of whatever rules existed to manage the sector.

The fisheries department was still being run under the Sindh Fisheries Ordinance of 1980 with no clear division of responsibilities among the various departments and having no road map for improvement and development of fisheries and fishers and no sustainability inbuilt, they said.

They pointed out that there were some specific actions that the government needed to take immediately. They included a significant increase in freshwater flow, measures to reduce pollution, banning construction of new irrigation, flood and energy infrastructure that impeded or polluted water flow, prohibiting use of private jetties and fishing without licence and catch quota and initiating facility of affordable credit to replace bondage to middle-men.

A group work was also part of the workshop to collect recommendations on the draft policy.