GWADAR, BALOCHISTAN: Fishermen in Pasni Announce Sea Shutdown Over Illegal Fishing
Fishermen from Kapar, in the coastal town of Pasni in Balochistan’s Gwadar district, have announced a shutdown of fishing in their waters to protest illegal fishing by some men from Sarbandar and what they described as serious threats they received after objecting, according to a press conference.
Speaking at the Pasni Press Club under the leadership of Rashid Baloch, the Kapar fishermen said some Sarbandar fishermen, backed by a political party, have been repeatedly entering Kapar’s waters to fish with banned nets and search lights. They said this has badly hurt local fishermen’s livelihoods.
Rashid Baloch and other fishermen leaders said Gwadar district’s fishermen have agreed on traditional rules through mutual consultation to protect marine resources. These include a ban on fishing on Fridays, no night fishing and a complete ban on search lights. They said some Sarbandar fishermen are violating all of these rules and that the Sarbandar Fishermen Alliance was formally informed but no effective action followed.
The leaders said tensions arose on the night of Oct. 24, when the opposing side entered Kapar’s waters with banned nets and was stopped. They said the other side attempted an attack, and local fishermen then seized the banned nets.
Since then, the Kapar fishermen said, they have been threatened with an attack by 40 to 50 speedboats. They also said open threats have been made to damage or destroy about 70 speedboats belonging to Kapar fishermen that are docked in Sarbandar, valued at tens of millions of rupees.
The fishermen said they are peaceful citizens and have no objection to anyone fishing legally but will not tolerate what they called bullying under political cover and the destruction of marine resources.
They called on the Gwadar deputy commissioner, the fisheries department, police and other relevant institutions to:
- Immediately ban banned nets and search lights in Kapar’s waters
- Promptly and impartially investigate the threats to damage the boats and to kill
- Protect the roughly 70 Kapar-owned speedboats and other assets in Sarbandar
- Defuse the tension between the two sides and guarantee fishermen can earn a living without fear
No response from the Sarbandar fishermen, the Sarbandar Fishermen Alliance, the political party mentioned or the authorities was included in the material provided.
