Pakistan: The turning tide

The livelihoods of Pakistani fishermen are under threat from commercial trawlers

The territorial waters off Pakistan's coast stretch 35 miles out into the Arabian Sea. For decades, they have been the exclusive territory of local fisherfolk, whose haul comprises a wide variety of species including catfish, grouper, shark, sardine and snapper. Indeed, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) says that Pakistan is endowed with a wealth of marine resources.

In the coastal communities of Pakistan's Sindh and Balochistan provinces, the population relies heavily on fishing for its livelihood. The majority of local fishermen use wooden boats, employing traditional and sustainable methods. This livelihood is under threat, however, as trawlers from China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan use large, industrial nets to harvest vast quantities of fish from the waters off the provinces' coast, leaving little behind for locals.

Deep sea trawlers can now fish as close as 25 nautical miles from the shoreline, while mid-size trawlers can come as close as 13 miles. In contrast, locals can fish only 12 miles from the coastline – less than half of the previous territory. Although, officially, government legislation controls the number of licences granted to foreign trawlers, Pakistani fishing groups say the official figures underestimate how many trawlers fish the area in contravention of FAO's code of conduct.

It is not only the families of those who work offshore that suffer from the decline in the local fishing industry. There is a heavy impact on the livelihood of women fisherfolk who work inland, traditionally skilled in secondary activities related to the trade, such as the manufacture of fishing baskets and nets. Smaller catches mean lower demand.

ActionAid is one of several international organisations working with the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum (PFF) in a campaign to force the Pakistan government to adhere to the FAO's code of conduct in implementing its fishing policy. But in spite of pressure from the FAO, the authorities have yet to carry out an up-to-date survey of fish stocks in Pakistan's waters, meaning there is no conclusive information on the number of fish available or any potentially endangered species.

As well as the FAO guidance, ActionAid and the PFF are working to lobby the government into passing new regulations which would ban the use of industrial fishing nets and deep-sea trawlers close to the shore, encourage local fishing through the use of sustainable deep-sea fishing methods, and provide support for fishing communities through improved access to basic services. In doing so, the hope is that the region's fishing industry can be saved from further damage and rediscover its former strength, and that relationships between local communities and government can be improved.

ActionAid began operating in Pakistan in 1992. It now works with 60,000 of the country's poorest people, particularly small, landless farmers, women and the urban poor.

Its focus is on food rights, education and gender issues, as well as labour rights, youth programmes and peace building. It works with a wide range of community and national organisations and lobbies the government and other decision makers to influence policies and practices that affect poor people.