Gwadar - Government of Balochistan

9.1. Introduction
Fisheries sector contributes substantially in the livelihood of the people of the coastal belt in district Gwadar. The 600 Kms
long coast is blessed with various kinds of fishing a large quantity and being close to Karachi possesses flourishing business
opportunities and activities for fishing business. In 2009, the production of fish was 120,000 metric tons, with an
estimated value of 97 million rupees. Fishing business is considered to be the mainstay of the economy for coastal
community. Due to water scarcity agriculture activities are at a limited scale. The fish produced in Gwadar district is sold to
the packing factories in Gwadar, Pasni and Karachi which is later exported to other countries.
9.2. Annual Production
The coast of Gwadar district has got a significant quantity of the best fish species such as Salmon, Shark, Stake, Ray, prawn,
lobster and many others, both in the shallow and deep waters.
Table 9.1: Annual Production and Value of Marine Fisheries
Production
Value
Unit 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Metric
Tons
112,642 128,421 135,405 122,347 120,216
Million
Rs.
3.4 6.5 6.9 8.6 97.4
(Fisheries Department)
Fishing is primary source of income for the people of Gawadr and most of the families are involved in this sector in one way
or the other. According to the 1998 Census, 31 per cent of district's population belongs to those people who are directly
engaged in the fishing sector.
The data of the Directorate of Fisheries shows that full-time fishermen population has increased from 16,380 to 30,815
over a period of 15 years from1995 to 2010. The fishermen avoid from fishing at the time of south-west monsoon, from
May to September, as the sea becomes rough with high tides. Another huge portion of population works in ancillary
businesses like boat making, curing yards, salt making and ice factories. Their earning is usually related to the main fishing
activities. Similarly, the fish market value is dependent upon the quality of products/services supported by ancillary
business; therefore, both the professions are interdependent.
There are about 6500 marine fishing boats of various sizes ranging from20 to 60 feet, types and capacity starting from 1
ton up to 200 tons. There are, generally, four categories of fishing boats registered with the Directorate of Fisheries.
'Yakdar' (Yak in Balochi language means one and dar means wood) is a small boat of 5 to 11 meters length built with one
keel length of wood and its use is on decrease presently. Second type is 'Ranchan' which has the same size as Yakdar but
different types of wood is used with small length wood planks and joined with iron nails. Thirdly, 'Gill-knitters' are the
medium size boats with keel range of 9 to 14 meters. Lastly, 'Launch' is generally from 14 to 20 meters keel in length. The
large boats like launch and gill-knitters have engines fitted inside the boat also called “mechanized boats” which have
increased in number from 770 in 1995 to 4665 in 2010. “Motorized boats” are those which have engines fitted outside the
boat. Usually Ranchins and Yakdars are used as motorized boats. The motorized boats have also increased considerably,
from 770 to 4665 during last fifteen years.
9.3. Fishermen Population and Fishing Craft
In District Gwadar, almost the entire community is engaged in fishing and related activities. The following table shows the
growth in the population employed in this sector from the year 2005 to 2009.
Table 9.2: Total Fish catch in Balochistan Coast and the Exportable Surplus Available
Year
Total
Production
Local Consumption
Total Production
Quantity
(Percentage)
Exportable
Surplus Quantity
Total Production
(Percentage)
2005 112,642 12,368 11% 100,274 89 %
2006 128,421 15,411 12% 113,010 88 %
2007 135,403 14,894 11% 120,059 89 %
2008 121,443 12,138 10% 109,305 90 %
2009 120,216 10,334 9% 109,882 91 %
Table 9.3: Fishermen Population on Balochistan Coast - Year wise
Year Type of Fishermen Total
Full Time Part Time Occasional
2005 27,284 9,808 5,211 42,303
2006 27,959 10,415 4,621 42,995
2007 28,398 10,657 4,810 43,865
2008 28,813 10,873 5,074 44,760
2009 30,815 12,808 6,348 49,971
Table 9.4: Number of fishing crafts year wise
9.4. Fish Marketing, Processing and Exports
(Fisheries Department)
2005 2006 2007 2008
No. of Launches 72 127 161 140
No. of Mechanized Boats 1,510 1,516 1,514 1,573
No. of Motorized Boats 4,556 4,613 4,641 4,665
No. of Sail Boats 13 n/f n/f n/f
Total 6,151 6,256 6,316 6,378
(Fisheries Department) n/f: Data not found
(Fisheries Department)
Most of the fish catch is marketed to Karachi from where it is further exported to other countries like Sri Lanka, China, Hong
Kong and Korea. Sri Lanka is the major importer of Pakistani fish but businessmen are not happy over trade with Sri Lanka as
they pay a relatively lower price. Fish is marketed in three ways. Some businessmen from Karachi or foreign countries buy
fish in the open sea by avoiding the port charges. Secondly, most of the fish is auctioned at fish harbors like Gwadar and
Pasni from where businessmen send the produce to Karachi and the neighboring districts like Kech, Panjgur and Awaran.
Sometimes, it is exported directly to the foreign buyers. Thirdly, some portion of the total catch is marketed in the local
market and local factories
Previously, the standard process for preserving fish in Gwadar was salting and drying. In 1970, the Department of Coastal
Development and Fisheries established an ice factory at Pasni. At present, there are 16 ice factories in the district including
6 in Gwadar, one in Surbander, 2 in Jewani, 4 in Pasni and 3 in Ormara. The daily ice production at Gwadar is 200 cubic
meters while at Pasni it is 100 cubic meters. Presently the fresh iced fish is sent to Karachi and other countries in big
trawlers.
The advanced processing of fish, called canning, is done in Karachi. There is a great potential for canning industry in the
district provided that road links are available for marketing. At present, Pakistan is one of the 80 countries whose canned
fish is banned for import in European and other developed countries, mainly because of high un-hygienic canning
factories. In Gwadar District, canning industry with international standards can not only earn a big profit In order to
facilitate in maintaining standard, a project of establishing a certification lab (in Gwadar) has been included in the PSDP
40 41
(Numbers)