Date of Award
11-4-2017
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Master of Science in Maritime Affairs
Specialization
Maritime Safety & Environmental Administration
Campus
Malmö, Sweden
Country
Pakistan
First Advisor
Baumler, Raphael.
Abstract
Fishing is the prime source of the livelihood for the population living in the coastal areas of Pakistan and a major sector of exportation. In the year 2015-16, the fish product exports in foreign exchange recorded 325 US Million Dollars. This sector provides direct employment to an estimate 400,000 fishers and 600,000 peoples in related industries. Despite the importance of fisheries for Pakistan, the supervision of the activity seems defective particularly in relation to safety at sea. The fleet is made of traditional small size wooden boat which often are below regulatory thresholds. In addition, fishers are not properly trained and educated on shore and familiarized at sea. The equipment on board such sea-going ships is below expectation in terms of Life Saving Appliance, Communication system and Fire-fighting devices. This lack of consideration on design, equipment held onboard including lack of training and familiarization affects safety and productivity. As per FAO/ Pakistan stock assessment report 2015, to establish effective co-management capacity for Pakistan marine fisheries, there is a clear need for stakeholders to build the efforts. This may improve all the shortcomings in the fishing sector. This study explores safety in fishing sector in Pakistan. A questionnaire has been conducted to explore the situation and identify main challenges and areas to improve. Non-registration of fishing boats is vital to ensure an appropriate control over the fishing fleet and support stock management and safety of fishing vessels.