Fish traders' strike on Wednesday entered third day against official ban on landing of trash seafood at Karachi Fish Harbour, fishermen said. Fishermen said the strike reduced the fish and shrimp rates by 50 percent within the last three days, adding that the government and traders dispute has badly hit their living.They feared there are several boats anchored at the harbour with loaded seafood stuff during the last three days. "The seafood stuff loaded in the boats is likely to decay as the cooling in holds is gradually losing," fishermen said. The government has suddenly imposed ban on trash fish and shrimp landing and disallowed all coming boats to landing their catch. "The policy is correct but it should be implemented with consensus and with clear warnings to boats," they noted.
The ordinance, which the government has implemented now, has been in place for the last 28 years but the authorities paid any head to the grim situation that the country's seas are facing from growing seabed trawling. "The government and traders should end their dispute immediately to facilitate the local fishermen, whose earnings are relied on sales of fish and shrimp to maintain their families amid growing inflation," they said.
They said the government continued to spare the sea-lords, who are using the banned nets for seafood catch in creeks. The nets are so thin that catch undersized shrimp and fish species which are not fit for human consumption and sold at cheaper rates as trash stuff. "The government should evolve fisheries policy keeping in view the world standards in collaboration with local fishermen and then implement it effectively and indiscriminately across the coastal belt of Sindh province," they said.
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