Pakistan's seafood export to Middle East has suffered a 40 percent decline because of a low catch in winter and growing fishing cost, fisheries sources and fishermen said on Monday. "About 40 percent fall in fresh fish export to Dubai and Kuwait has hit the country's fisheries market since seafood catch has fallen significantly in cold hostile weather with a soaring fishing cost," they said.
Fishermen however demanded of the government a sizeable subsidy on oil fuel to offset the growing expenses. "The Indian government provides its fishermen with good sum of subsidy to help them increase their seafood," they said. According to President Sindh Trawlers Owners and Fishermen Association (Stofa), Habibullah Khan Niazi, the winter seafood catch has fallen by 30 percent since the weather turned gusty on the seas.
"The winter fish is costlier on the local market as compared to its value on the Middle Eastern markets which eventually forced a number of fresh seafood exporters to halt their shipments till market normalises," sources said. Niazi said the expenses of fishing operations grows in winter as marine species plunge deep to seabed from cold ocean climate, making the fishermen toil in hunt for an extended period.
