O Level Pak Studies PAGE1 Geography Notes
FISHING
O Level Pak Studies PAGE2 Geography Notes
O Level Pak Studies PAGE3 Geography Notes
LEARNING OUTCOMES!
Candidates should be able to:
describe the fishing methods used in both marine and inland waters,
including fish farms
give examples of the fish caught in both marine and inland waters, and of
the fish reared on fish farms
give examples of the fishing ports on both the Balochistan and Sindh
coasts
describe the uses of the fish caught
explain improvements in fishing methods and processing techniques
understand the problems facing the fishing industry and evaluate the
possibilities for its further development and sustainability.
O Level Pak Studies PAGE4 Geography Notes
FISH FOOD
Fish feed on planktons
Planktons are minute plant and animal organisms that float in sea or are
deposited on the sea bed
Carbon dioxide and oxygen dissolves in surface water by sun rays from
atmosphere
Phosphates, nitrates and other plant nutrients are added to the surface
water by rivers
They together help the growth of planktons
ADVANTAGES OF FISHING INDUSTRY
Source of nutritious food.
Fish Oil
Waste useful for fertilizer industry
Increases GDP
Export of fish can earn foreign exchange
Source of income
Source of direct and indirect employment
Promotes the growth of other industries e.g. boat makers
Development of coastal areas
Waterlogged and saline areas can be used for fish farming
DISADVANTAGES OF FISHING INDUSTRY
Lack of investment so old methods followed.
Poor infrastructure
Lack of skilled labour
Water pollution
Issues of overfishing
Less Profit
O Level Pak Studies PAGE5 Geography Notes
MARINE FISHING
Carried out along with coastal water of Sindh and Baluchistan
Sindh Coast is 30% of the coastline and Makran Coast is 70%
FISHING PORTS
Sindh: Karachi, Thatta
Baluchistan: Jiwani, Gwadar, Pasni, Ormara, Sonmiani
SUBSISTENCE FISHING
Fishermen and his family consume the fish, they catch
Small wooden boats under 20m long
Traditional wooden boats
Owner and its crewmen
Upto 5 km off the shore
Traditional nets, hand nets
No Radar and Sonar to find fish
One day operation
No Satellites for navigation and weather
Ice Box
Traditional, weak ropes
Gutted
Dried
Salted
Nominal catch
O Level Pak Studies PAGE6 Geography Notes
COMMERCIAL FISHING
Fish is sold in the market
Boat size upto 100 m long
Mechanized boats (With engine)
As many as 100 people employed by a company
Away from port upto 50-60 Km from the coast in the deep-sea water
Nets at least 1 km wide. Gill netters are used.
Radar and Sonar to find fish
Away from port for weeks
Satellites for navigation and weather
Refrigerators
Stronger bigger nylon nets and ropes
Gutted
Canned
Dried
Salted
Fish catch is high
TYPES OF MARINE FISH CATCH
Sharks
Croakers
Drums
Cat fish
Skates
Rays
WHY SINDH COAST IS IMPORTANT FISHING CENTRE?
Large market
More interest from investors
Good roads
Reliable electricity
Clean water
Modern infrastructure
Skilled labour
Foreign investments
Better port facilities
Better cold storage
More mechanized fishing fleet
Numerous creeks
Sheltered harbours
Wide Shallow sea
O Level Pak Studies PAGE7 Geography Notes
Wider continental shelf
More area under mangroves
Indus Delta is rich in fish food
FISH MARKET IN KARACHI
Karachi had domestic and international market
At domestic level fish is supplied to local markets through wholesale
dealers
Street hawkers also buy some of fish catch and provide a door-to-door
service
Frozen processed fish is supplied to large department stores
About 30% of total fish catch in exported to 30 countries of the world
Japan is main market for fish and shrimps
UK, USA and France are other important market
FISH MARKETING IN GAWADAR
Fish catch is packed in ice for transportation to Karachi
From Karachi it is further exported
Some businessmen from Karachi or foreign country buy fish in open sea to
avoid paying port charges
Fish is exported directly to middle East Countries
Some of fish is marketed locally
How does poor infrastructure of Baluchistan make development of
fishing difficult?
Poor Roads/Railways for Transportation
Lack of electricity for processing
Poor Telecommunication so difficult to sell products
Lack of clean water for processing
Lack of education so difficult to follow new commercial methods
Advantages Of Developing Fish Processing Industries In
Baluchistan
Stimulates development of fishing industry
Reduced cost of transport (than to Karachi)
Reduces Burden on Karachi
More fresh / no delay / no need for storage
Infrastructure development, e.g. roads, power, telecommunications
Sources of Income – higher living standards, better housing, jobs
Trade with Middle East increases
O Level Pak Studies PAGE8 Geography Notes
Disadvantages Of Developing Fish Processing Industries In
Baluchistan
Lack of infrastructure, e.g. roads, power, water, ports, etc.
Small market / population
Long way from major centres of population, e.g. Karachi
Uneducated / unskilled population
Lack of interest from investors or government
Inhospitable climate
Poor quality product
O Level Pak Studies PAGE9 Geography Notes
FISHING PERIODS
November to January for fish
October and November for shrimps
June and July is breeding time
Fishing in big boats is done throughout the year
Part time fishermen who use small boats do not fish from May to
September because of South-West monsoon
IMPROVEMENTS IN MARINE FISHING INDUSTRY
Training facilities are being provided
Establishing on-shore facilities
Better marketing and processing facilities
Increasing the efficiency of existing boats
Research surveys of deep off-shore waters are being conducted to
promote deep sea fishing
16 ice factories are developed in Baluchistan
Improved loading and unloading facilities
Guidance and weather information for fishermen
Monitoring of deep-sea fishing vessels
O Level Pak Studies PAGE10 Geography Notes
INLAND FISHING
Practiced is almost all the rivers, lakes, reservoirs, irrigation channels and
fish farms
TYPES OF INLAND FISH CATCH
Manaseer
Palla
Thalla
Rahu
Trout
Grass
Silver
MAIN FISHING CENTERS
Manchar Lake in Dadu District Sindh
Keenjhar Lake North of Thatta
Haleji Lake West of Thatta
Reservoirs of Mangla and Tarbela Dam
River Indus at Sukkur, Kotri, Thatta
FISH FARMING
Flat land of plains easy to use machinery
Large and cheap land is available to build the farms
Unconsolidated rocks and alluvial deposits make easy to dig out ponds
Higher water table which can use to fill the ponds
Large irrigational schemes
Govt. Incentives
Many hatcheries which provide baby fish
Good road networks for supply of fish
Large domestic market
Large rectangular man-made ponds
Concrete or cemented impervious base and sides to prevent water loss
Sides of farms and edged with solidified mud to prevent contamination
Linear plantation around fish farms to provide oxygen, shade to minimize
water loss by evaporation and to keep water body cool
Separation of ponds by embankments for different ages and species of
the fish
Roads and ponds lined to prevent contamination
O Level Pak Studies PAGE11 Geography Notes
How Fishes are reared on a Fish Farm?
Farmers bring baby fish from the hatcheries
Regular feed for proper growth and healthier fish
Regular checking
Disinfectants to avoid diseases
Regular check of water level
Regular change of fresh water
Different ages of fish are transferred between ponds
When fish is mature and meet the need of market, they are caught by
nets
Advantages
Provides income
Raw material for fertilizer industry
Provided employment
Reduces burden on crops and livestock
Foreign exchange earnings by export
Disadvantages
Occupies more space
Lower water table
Deforestation
Skills needed
Capital needed
Continuous supply of fresh water
Good network of roads
O Level Pak Studies PAGE12 Geography Notes
Why more people employed in inland fishing?
More people live near ponds, lakes
Maintenance of ponds
Feeding
Catching of Fish
Hatcheries (Separate labour required)
O Level Pak Studies PAGE13 Geography Notes
PROBLEMS OF FISHING INDUSTRY
WATER POLLUTION
Toxic chemicals can also accumulate in fish tissues, making fish too
dangerous for human to eat
Eutrophication: When phosphorous and nitrogen get into water causes
growth of algae. Algae uses large amount of oxygen. Fish suffocate in
oxygen depleted water
Thermal Pollution: Cool water from river or lake is circulated around
engines to cool it and then warm water is then returned to river or lake. It
can cause massive fish kills when discharged water is too warm. Warm
water hold less oxygen and fish may suffocate
No proper dumping of domestic and industrial waste sea animals may eat
plastic and die of suffocation or maybe they get strangled
OVERFISHING
Overfishing means when more fish are caught than replaced naturally
Fishing in breeding season
Catching baby fishes
Too many fishes caught
THREAT TO MANGROVES
Mangroves act as barrier and protect coastline from high and low tides
Mangroves are breeding ground for fish
Mangroves cannot thrive in polluted water
GOVERNMENT MEASURES TO PROMOTE FISHERIES
Establishment of fish hatcheries, nurseries and seed forms for large scale
production of quality seed
Improved management system
Development of lakes, rivers
Proper advisory services to private farmers
Irrigation facilities and reduced rates
Provision of bulldozers on reduced rates
Supply of fish seed at nominal rates
Free training
Improvements of Karachi Harbour
Construction of Korangi Fish Harbour, Pasni Fish Harbour
Construction of Cold Storage
Established shrimp packing and freezing plants in Karachi
O Level Pak Studies PAGE14 Geography Notes
HOW TO DEVELOP FISHERIES ON SUSTAINABLE LINES
By avoiding overfishing
By having quotas/government licences
Secure fishing grounds from foreign fishing boats
Limit number of months in year able to fish (to allow breeding)
Only catch adult fish (by using nets with larger holes/mesh)
Laws to protect of mangrove forests
Laws/fines to prevent marine pollution
Education in sustainable methods
O Level Pak Studies PAGE15 Geography Notes
TYPES OF NET FISHING
TRAWLING
Makes use of a trawl net
Both sides of trawl net are attached to one or more fishing vessels which
drag it through deep water
This method is used primarily to catch fish what live near bottom of sea
PURSE SEINING
Uses a large net
The boat surrounds school of fish with a curtain of netting and then close
the bottom of net
This is used to catch fish in the middle or at the surface of sea
DRIFT NETTING
Makes use of a long net set vertically across the path of migrating fish
When the fish try to make their way through net, they became entangled
in it
PRIMARY SECTOR IN FISHING
Fisherman
SECONDARY SECTOR IN FISHING
Gutting
Salting
Canning
Freezing
Packaging
TERTIARY SECTOR IN FISHING
Loading and unloading man
Truck Driver
O Level Pak Studies PAGE16 Geography Notes
6 MARKS QUESTIONS
Question 1 NOTES BY MYM
To what extent is it possible to develop the fish processing industry further
in Pakistan? Give reasons to support your answer and refer to places or
examples you have studied. [6]
Possible
Long undeveloped coastline (1050km / Makran Coast 750 km)
Gwadar being developed as a new port having fish harbour with modern
facilities
Potential at Pasni / Jiwani / Ormara (allowing more fish to be refrigerated /
preserved for transport to Karachi)
International quality standards (to remove import bans / embargoes)
Increase local ice factories / refrigerated storage / packing / canning
facilities (to reduce need to transport to Karachi)
Training / education (could provide employment of local educated
youth)
Value added products made for export (make more foreign exchange)
Not possible
Limited private sector and government investment
Many processing plants under capacity or out of operation (showing that
the future development is uncertain)
Few skilled workers
Coastline areas are remote and poor transport links
Canning factories have been unhygienic and a cause for import bans (to
EU / Saudi Arabia)
Unreliable export market (about 30% worldwide)
Low profits (6% of foreign exchange)
Foreign competition
Urban centres prefer fresh fish so processed fish only to a few large
department stores
Per capita consumption is low (1.6 kg p.a.)
Question 2 NOTES BY MYM
To what extent is it possible for marine fishing to be developed
sustainably in Pakistan? Give reasons to support your answer. [6]
Possible
By avoiding overfishing
By having quotas/government licences
O Level Pak Studies PAGE17 Geography Notes
Secure fishing grounds from foreign fishing boats
Limit number of months in year able to fish (to allow breeding)
Only catch adult fish (by using nets with larger holes/mesh)
Laws to protect of mangrove forests
Laws/fines to prevent marine pollution
Education in sustainable methods
Not possible
Mangrove forests are being cleared (reducing breeding/feeding areas for
fish/shrimps)
Sea pollution (oil from ships/industrial/domestic waste from
Karachi)(poisoning fish and spreading into food chain)
Not enough capital/investment
Lack of skills/training in sustainable methods
Lack of political interest/will (fishing only makes up about 0.5% of GDP)
O Level Pak Studies PAGE18 Geography Notes
