After selling Balochistan to China under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the fishermen of the city of Karachi the capital of the Sindh province are now faced with the prospect of watching large Chinese fishing vessels take all the fishes from Pakistan’s exclusive economic zone.
This has led to mass protests because the fishing industry is an important part of the livelihood in this area. The Pakistani fishermen mostly own small boats that are not capable of deep-sea fishing. However, the Chinese trawlers are large and more technologically advanced with the capacity to lay large nets and catch more fish.
Which is why fishermen in Pakistan are angry as 20 Chinese deep-sea trawlers have arrived near Karachi.
According to some estimate, fish stocks in coastal areas have already declined by 72% of and Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum has announced a campaign against the Chinese trawlers’ arrival.
These modern trawlers they believe will further deplete Pakistan’s dwindling marine resources.
“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.
The Gwadar port has been developed by China under the USD 50 billion CPEC and many Baloch who is the original settlers there have been forcibly uprooted and prevented them from going into the sea. Their waters are now being fished by Chinese vessels and the fishermen of Balochistan have also announced a protest campaign against these vessels.