Grade IX Geography: Fishing Industry

Grade IX Geography: Fishing Industry

This lesson will provide you with useful information about Pakistan's fishing industry

Fishing Areas and Methods

Marine fishing can be foud on the Sindh coast (30% of the cooastline) and the Makran coast (70% of the coastline). Mangrove trees, which are breeding grounds for fish and shrimps grow in the mouths of the distributaries of the Indus and Hab deltas.

What type of fishing is going on here?

Subsistence Fishing

Subsitence of artisanal fishing are various small-scale, low-technology, low-capital, fishing practices undertaken by individual fishing households. Many of these households are of coastal or island ethnic groups. These households make short fishing trips close to the shore. 

Open Ended

What are some of the key features of subsistence fishing?

Commercial Fishing

This is fishing on a large scale and the product is sold in local, national and foreign markets

Commercial Fishing - The key elements

The use of larger boats, nets and greater technology -- allowing boats to fish further offshore.

Commercial Fishing - The key elements

The use of trawlers and siene nets reult is much larger catches; higher yields and greater profit. But at what cost?

Commercial Fishing - The key elements

What do you see in this picture? What are some of the advantages of promoting the fishing industry as seen in this picture?

Fish Processing: What's involved here?

• The term fish processing refers to the processes associated with fish and fish products between the time fish are caught or harvested, and the time the final product is delivered to the customer. 

• What is happening in this image?

Fish Processing: What's involved here?

• What is happening in this image?

• Do you think this is a packaging plant i Pakistan? Why or why not?

• If not. What do we need to get to this stage?

Types of Marine Fish

• Sharks

• Drums

• Croakers

• Skates

• Rays

• Cat fish

The Fish Farm (Aquaculture)

• Rectangular man-made ponds with concrete or cemented base to prvent leakage

• Sides made from solidified mud

• Trees are planted to provide oxygen, minimize water losses through evaporation and keep the water cool.

The Fish Farm : How did it get to the plain area?

• Fish ponds exist sise by side with liestock and poultry farming

• Animal waste used for ferilizer in the fish pond -- manure provides active nutrients for the fish

• Poultry droppings -- high in soluble inorganic salts -- help the growth of plankton -- food for fish

• Fish waste is used for poultry feed

How does the government promote the fishing industry?

• New and improved fishing methods

• The development of value added products such as canned and frozen fish

• Improved technology; weather forecasting; sonar and guidance to track fish

• Monitoring deep sea fishing -- for illegal and over fishing

• Improving standards so that they can be at par with WTO standards

Fish Marketing

• Domestic and international markets

• Frozen or package to larger stores in urban centers

• Exported to 30 countries around the globe

• Japan, USA, U.K. and France are leading export nations for our fish and shrimp

• More than 6% of foreign exchange is generated from the fishing industry

What are the ecological consequences of the fish farms?

• Subsoil water is pumped put of the farms to fill the ponds -- lowers the water table

• When the ater evaporates the soil reaches the surface and renders the land unsuitable for growing crops

• Converting the coastal wetlands to fish farms has disturbed the natural ecosystem; these marshy lands act as a nursery for many commercially important species.

• Chemics used for breeding and disinfecting the fish farms may be harmful to othe organisms in the environment

What are some of the major problems associated with the fishing industry?

• Water pollution

• Over-fishing

• Threat to Mangroves

• Lack of financial resources

• Lack of skilled labor

• Lack of standarized practices throughout the process -- lack of quality control

What is sustainable fisheries? Why has Pakistan failed?

• Fish prodiction should have suitable yields for the presnet and future populations

• Over fishing

• Cathing young fish

• The use of illegal nets

• The destruction of the mangroves

• Water pollution

How can we become a nation with a sustainable fishing industry?

• Not allow foreign trawlers to poach from the rich Arabian Sea

• Stricter laws banning the use of illegal nets

• Sytricter laws to punish bycatch criminals

• Stricter laws against the cutting down of Mangroves

• Stricter laws and fines against those who pollute