Pak-China marine coop is must to eradicate bycatch and raise income, said Muhammad Moazzam Khan, WWF-Pakistan’s technical adviser for marine fisheries.
Both China and Pakistan enjoy long coastlines and diverse marine life species. “Therefore, the long-term sustainable cooperation strategy under the CPEC framework is of great benefit.” Shoaib Kiani, Assistant Professor at the University of Karachi’s Institute of Marine Science believes the two countries should cooperate to train fishermen and related ecological protection personnel, and even establish work group to hold regular exchange meetings.
Shoaib Kiani stressed that the regulations need to be upheld. “At present, a number of excellent academic papers related to marine biology and ecological protection have emerged in Pakistani academic circles, reflecting our great potential in the field of scientific research and technology.
The only problem is financial support and resource allocation. Sustained development goes hand in hand with improving fisher livelihoods, which are going to benefit generations to come.”
“We had set up a fishing net and were anxiously waiting for the catch,” said the fisher that lives in the coastal village of Ibrahim Hyderi, Karachi, “we suddenly felt something moving and pulling the net away from the boat. It was a huge green turtle struggling to escape. We safely released this gentle giant, witnessing it flip back into the waters.”
