Pakistan fishermen plan protests against Chinese trawlers fishing near Karachi
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The trawlers arrived off the coast of Sindh and Baluchistan in the first week of August. It is not known where exactly in China, these trawlers have come from.
Anger is brewing among fishermen in Pakistan as 20 Chinese deep-sea trawlers have arrived near Karachi. The fishermen are planning a protest.
Pressure group Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum has announced a campaign against the Chinese trawlers' arrival. The group says that fish stocks in coastal areas have already declined by more than 72 per cent after last year due to uncontrolled fishing. The group fears that fishing by the Chinese trawlers will further deplete Pakistan's marine resources.
The trawlers arrived off the coast of Sindh and Baluchistan in the first week of August. It is not known where exactly in China, these trawlers have come from.
"These vessels threaten the livelihoods of small fishermen by depriving the catch today, and in future by ecologically destroying the sea," said PFF chairman Muhammad Ali Shah.
Fishermen in Gwadar have also announced a protest campaign against the vessels. Gwadar is a central part of the USD 50 billion China Pakistan Economic Corridor. Fishermen in Gwadar have protested in the past as well. They protested against construction activities that prevented them from going into the sea.
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