National Policy and Strategy For Fisheries and Aquaculture Development in Pakistan

NATIONAL POLICY AND STRATEGY FOR FISHERIES AND AQUACULTURE DEVELOPMENT IN PAKISTAN Part 1 Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock Government of Pakistan Islamabad 2007 Acknowledgements The Secretary of the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock is indebted to the work of the National Project Coordinator, Dr. Mohammad Hayat, the National Consultants Dr. Mohammad Ayub, Mr. M. Moazzam Khan, Mr. Safdar Abbas, Ms. Nida Ashraf, Mr. Junaid Wattoo, and International Consultants Dr. G. Haylor, Mr. William Savage, Ms. Kath Copley and Mr. Graeme Macfayden who helped facilitate the policy formulation process and bring to existence the Policy Framework and Strategy for Fisheries and Aquaculture Development in Pakistan. The Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock and Provincial/Areas Fisheries Depts received encouragement and support from various stakeholders from the public and private sectors, non­ governmental organisations, fishing and farming communities and their representatives. Their valuable inputs, which were coordinated by a close partnership between the project team and the personnel from the STREAM Initiative ofNACA (Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia and the Pacific) made the elaboration and formulation of the present policy and strategy possible. The assistance of the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF-Pakistan) in arranging consultations with communities, community-based organisations and other stakeholders is acknowledged. , ' The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) provided funding, administrative support and technical supporVThe Secretary is grateful to Mr. R. Adhikarya arid Dr. M. Gunawan, F AO Representatives, Mr. Syed M. Ali, Assistant F AO Representative and other F AO staff in Pakistan for contributing to the suitable working environment that facilitated the completion of the policy and strategy. He is indebted to F AO fisheries and aquaculture officers in Rome, Dr. Cecile Brugere, Dr. Melba Reantaso, Mr. Blaise Kuemlangan, and Bangkok, Dr. Simon Funge-Smith, for the technical backstopping they provided through~ut the policy formulation process. .. 2 ADB ADP/PSDP AJK APO AQD BCDA BFD 801 BOR CBO CBR CCRF CEMB CIDA CPI DANIDA DFI DFID EAD EDB EDF EOBI EPA EPZA FAO FATA FBS FCS FPC FTC GOA GEF GOP HOP HEC HPZ ILO IOTC' IRSA ruu IWMI JICA KFHA KOFHA KOICA KPT MCS MFD MINFAL MMD MOE MOST MPA MPS MSA MSY Acronyms Asia Development Bank Annual Development Plan / Public Sector Development Programme Azad Jammu and Kashmir Activity towards Plan Objective Animal Quarantine Department Balochistan Coastal Development'A\lth~rity " Balochistan Fisheries Department Board of Investment Board of Revenue Community-Based Organisation Central Board of Revenue Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries Centre of Excellence in Marine Biology (University of Karachi) Canada International Development Agency Cleaner Protection Institutes Danish International Development Agency Development Financial Institution Department for International Development (UK) Economic Affairs Division Export Development Board Export Development Fund Employees Old-Age Bertefitsiihstitutiod • Environmental Protection Agency Export Processing Zones Authority Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations Federally Administered Tribal Areas Federal Bureau of Statistics Fishermen's Cooperative Society Forest Protection Committee Fisheries Training Centres Gwader Development Authority Global Environment Facility Government of Pakistan Human Development Programme Higher Education Commission High Potential Zone International Labour Organisation Indian Ocean Tuna Commission Indus River System Authority Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated [fishing) International Water Management Institute Japan International Cooperation Agency Karachi Fish Harbour Authority Korangi Fish Harbour Authority Korea International Cooperation Agency Karachi Port Trust Monitoring, Control and Surveillance Marine Fisheries Department Ministry of rood, Agricullurt: and Livc:st0t;k Mercantile Marine Department Ministry of Environment Ministry of Science and Technology Marine Protected Area Ministry of Ports and Shipping Maritime Security Agency Maximum Sustainable Yield 3 MRD MTDF NACA NARC NVVW NEAP NEQS NGO NIBGE NIO NIPA NOC NORAD NRSP NWFP P & D Dept. PARC PCSIR PERI PFF PIDE PN PO PQA PSF PSIA SA SAARC SBP SCDA SDPI SEAFDEC SFD SIDA SME SMEDA SNE STREAM SUPARCO TED TURF UNDP UNEP UNIDO UNIFEM WAPDA WB WFC WWF ZSD ZTBL Marketing Research Department Mid-Term Development Framework Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia-Pacific National Agricultural Research.Centre National Council for Conservation ofWildlife National Environment Action Plan National Environmental Quality Standard Non-Governmental Organisation National Institute for Biotechnology & Genetic Engineering National Institute of Oceanography National Institute of Public Administration No Objection Certificate Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation National Rural Support Programme North West Frontier Province Planning and Development Department Pakistan Agricultural Research Council Pakistan Council for Scientific and Industrial Research Punjab Economic Research Institute Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum Pakistan Institute of Development Economics Pakistan Navy Plan Objective Port Qasim Authority Pakistan Science Foundation Pakistan Seafood Industries. Associatiqn Strategy Axis • • South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation State Bank of Pakistan Sindh Coastal Development Authority Sustainable Development Policy Institute Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Centre Saudi Fund for Development Swedish International Development Agency Small and Medium Enterprises Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority Sanctioned New Expenditure Support to Regional Aquatic Resources Management Space and Upper Atmospheric Research Commission Turtle Excluder Device Territorial Use Rights in Fisheries United Nations Development Programme United Nations Environment Programme United Nations Industrial Development Organisation United Nations Development Fund for Women Water and Power Development Authority World Bank World Fish Center ·world Wildlife Fund for Nature Zoological Survey Department Zari Taraquati Bank Limited (formerly Agricultural Development Bank of Pakistan) Table of contents Policy formulation process ..................................... • ... .. ... ........................... ............ .......................... 9 THE STATUS OF FISHERIES AND AQUACULTURE IN PAKISTAN .................................... 12 POLICY ............ ....... ................................ ................. ....... ..... ....... .. ................. ........ ....... .............. 14 STRATEGY ... .... ........................................................ ............................................... .. ..... ............ 17 IMPLEMENTATION PLAN ...... ........ .. ... .................................. .. ..... ...... .............. ...... ............ ...... 20 1) Plan objectives and activities for each co.m!'}OY! element and ax.is of the· strategy ...................... 21 ' • J • COMMON ELEMENT A: ................................................................. ............................................ 21 STRENGTHENING OF CROSS-SECTORAL COLLABORATIONS ....................................... 2 f • ,Plan objective (PO) A. I : Establish strong collaborative partnerships to attract private investment in aquaculture (coastal and inland) and post-harvest activities ............................... 22 Plan objective (PO) A,.2: Increase coordination of multiple uses of freshwater (surface and underground) ............................................ , .................. ............................................................... 22 Plan objective (PO) A.3: Establish strong collaborative partnerships and proces:5es to ensure • adequate and sustainable water flows in major rivers and tributaries and re-establish balanced water regintes/use and ecosystems ... : ......................................................................................... 22 Plan objective (PO) A.4: Support wide-ranging livelihood needs in fi~hing communities ....... 23 Plan objective (PO) A.S : Implement integrated coastal area management and reduce resource conflict occurrence and environmental degradation in coastal areas .... ..................................... 23 Plan objective (PO) A.6: Promote envfronm~.ntal conservation and adopt measures to prevent damage to aquatic biodiversity by pollution and environmental degradation ........................... 24 COMMON ELEMENT B: ......... ......................................................................... ....................... .... 25 INSTITUTIONAL IMPROVEMENTS AND DEVELOPMENTS WITHIN THE FISHERIES AND AQUACULTURE SECTORS ..... ................. ....................................................................... 25 Plan objective (PO) B.1 [priority]: Strengthen current fisheries institutions, through a better demarcation of roles and responsibilities ................................................................................... 25 Plan objective (PO) B.2: Reform/ reorganize Provincial/Areas and district authorities and existing institutions to make them more responsive to the needs of fisheries/aquaculture development and management ........... ............ ............................................................................ 26 Plan objective (PO) B.3: Support the formation of producers' organisations ........................... 26 Plan objective (PO) B.4: Study and reform the existing contract system for the exploitation of freshwater bodies ..... .................................................................................................................. 26 Plan objective (PO) B.5: Address current fisheries and aquaculture legislation and regulations shortcomings .............................................................................................................................. 26 Plan objective (PO) B.6: Recognise and promote the role of communities in fisheries management in coastal and inland areas .................... ................................................................ 27 COMMON ELEMEN'l' C: .......... ........................... ................................................ ................. ....... 28 DEVELOPMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCES AND SKILLS ............................ ........................ 28 Pl'?1 .objecti.v~.(PO) C. l: Provide fisheries and aquaculture training programmes and suitable tra1n1ng fac1l1t1es .... ............................ .. ................................ ...................................................... 28 Plan objective (PO) C.2: Improve extension s.ervices for the fisheries and aquaculture . .......... 29 COMMON ELEMENT D: ............... ........ ........................................ ........ ............................... ....... 30 5 ENHANCEMENT OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT APPLIED TO FISHERIES AND AQUACULTURE .......... .................... ......................................................................... , ......... .. ....... 30 Plan objective (PO) D.1: Enhance support to and improve quality and relevance of research and development applied to fisheries and aquaculture ............................. ................................. 30 Plan objective (PO) D.2: Develop and support technical research programmes.: ..................... 30 Plan objective (PO) D.3: Increase the reliability of fisheries and aquaculture statistical data country-wide: ....................... ...................................................................................................... 31 Plan objective (PO) D.4: Monitor and ensure that social, economic, marketing and institutional issues are adequately dealt with in relation to fisheries and aquaculture development ............. 31 STRATEGY AXIS 1: .................................................................................................................... 32 SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF AQUACULTURE PRODUCTION (INLAND AND COAST AL) .... .. .................................................................. ............................................................ 32 Strategy axis (SA) 1 A: Strengthening of inland aquaculture production ......................... ............. 32 Plan objective (PO) lA. l: Develop high potential zones for inland aquaculture development. 32 Plan objective (PO) lA.2: Attract private investment in inland aquaculture production (including fish seed/fingerlings,feed and grow-out) ..... .................................... ........................ 32 Plan objective (PO) 1 A.3: Encourage the production of aquatic species able to ·compete on domestic and international markets .............................................................. .............................. 32 ., Plan objective (PO) IA.4: Ensure that environmental concerns are fully taken into account in • inland aquaculture development. .... : .... .:.: .. :: ....... : .... : ............ ~ .............. ...................................... 33 Strategy axis (SA) l B: Development of aquaculture in coastal areas ........................................... 34 Plan objective (PO) 1 B.1: Develop high potential zones for coastal aquaculture development. .............................................................................................................. ...................................... 34 • Plan objective (PO) IB.2: Attract private sector investment in coastal aquaculture production (including seed/fingerlings, feed and grow-out) ........................................................................ 34 Plan objective (PO) 1B.3: Facilitate the establishment of the culture.of shrimp, finfish and mud crab in coastal areas of Sindh and Balochistan ...................... .................................................... 34 Plan objective (PO) 1B.4': Ensure that environmental concerns are fully taken into account in coastal aquaculture developments ........ .................. ............ .............. ................................ .... ...... 34 STRATEGY AXIS 2: .... ................................................................ .. .............................................. 35 SUSTAINABLE INCREASE IN CAPTURE FISHERIES PRODUCTION (MARINE AND INLAND) ............ ......................................................... ................................................................... 35 Strategy axis (SA) 2A: Marine capture fisheries ........................................................................... 35 Plan objective (PO) 2A. l: Rehabilitate marine aquatic habitats damaged by pollution and environmental degradation .......................................................................... .. ............................. 36 Plan objective (PO) 2A.2: Control over-exploitation of marine fisheries resources . ................ 36 Plan objective (PO) 2A.3 : Promote sustainable management of marine aquatic resources ...... 36 Plan objective (PO) 2A.4: Establish sustainable harvesting and utilization of untapped marine resources ..... .............. .. ....... ........ ....... .............................. ....................................... ..................... 37 Plan objective (PO) 2A.5: Promote fisherfolks' safety at sea .................................................... 37 Plan objective (PO) 2A.6: Promote sport fishing activities in coastal waters ........................... 37 Strategy axis (SA) 2b: Inland capture fisheries . .............................. .............................................. 38 Plan objective (PO) 2B. l: Rehabilitate inland aquatic habitats damaged by pollution and environmental degradation .......................................... ............... ................. ............................... 38 6 Plan objective (PO) 2B.2: Control over-exploitation of inland fisheries resources ................... 38 Plan objective (PO) 2B.3: Promote sustainable management of inland aquatic resources ........ 39 Plan objective (PO) 2B.4: Establish sustainable exploitation of untapped inland resources ..... 39 Plan objective (PO) 2B.5: Promote sport fishing activities in inland water bodies ................... 39 STRATEGY AXIS 3: .. ...... ............................................................................................................ 40 RESOLVING POST-HARVEST ISSUES .................... ................................................................ 40 (handling, storage, value-adding/processing, transport and marketing/commercialisation of captured and cultured species) .................. ................................................. ............... ...................... 40 Plan objective (PO) 3. l: Improve the handling and preservation of fish and aquatic products. 40 Plan objective (PO) 3.2: Add value (transformation/processing) to aquatic products .............. .41 Plan objective (PO) 3.3: improve transportation of aquatic products ........................................ 41 Plan objective (PO) 3.4: Improve commercialisation of aquatic products .. ............................. .41 Plan objective (PO) 3 .5: Improve access of aquatic products to international markets ............ .41 Plan objective (PO) 3.6: Improve dissemination of market and product information .............. .41 2) Creation of a policy implementation and monitoring body ............. ....... .. .... ........................... ... 42 3) Implementation matrices for each common element and axis of the strategy ......... , ... .... ............ 43 COMMON ELEMENT A .... ........................ .. .............. .... .. ............................................................ 43 COMMON ELEMEN1: I3 ..... . ............. '.., .... i·;: ·• ... , ..... : ....... , ............ , .............................................. ... 51 COMMON ELEMENT C1 .. ... ~ ••••• ••••• :: .': .. ::'.:'. •• ~ ............. '.: .... '.· .... :· ....... ... ........................... .................. 59 COMMON ELEMENT D ...................................................................................... ...................... .. 65 STRATEGY AXIS lA .................................... ............................................................................... 70 STRATEGY AXIS 1B .......... ...... .............................................................................................. ..... 75 STRATEGY AXIS 2A ........... ........................................................................................................ 79 STRATEGY AXIS 2B .............. ... .................................................................................................. 86 ° STRATEGY AXIS 3 ..................... ......... ................................... .. .................................... .............. 93" 7 Foreword The National Policy and Strategy for Fisheries anB Aquaculture Development in Pa,kistan is the result of a comprehensive consultative process that has involved a large number of stakeholders at all levels between 2004 and 2006. • The National Policy and Strategy for Fi sher.ie§ ~d Aqu~cul~ure Development in Pakistan is constituted of several parts. Part 1 presents the· policy, strategy and its implementation plan (activities). Part 2 details the institutional arrangements necessary for the overseeing of the policy implementation process, as well as project concept notes elaborated by the GOP towards the implementation of the policy. Part 3 is constituted of a legal review of the policy, with recommendations for legal improvements to support implementation. While Part 1 is here to stay and will guide the Government of Pakistan in achieving the policy goals, supportive Parts 2 and 3, at the time of writing, were work in progress and may be subsequently modified/updated. It is understood that the present National Policy and Strategy for Fisheries and Aquaculture Development in Pakistan does not supplant, nor contradict; previous policies elaborated for the fisheries and aquaculture sectors. • 8 Policy formulation process The components of a policy document - a brief 01:erview A policy document is formulated to give directions to the development of a sector. The results of a planning process, like the one undertaken to formulate this document, can be disaggregated into a framework with four linked steps: policy goals; strategies with objectives; a plan; and a series of activities. While strategies deal with the 'how' of policy goals, plans and activities deal with 'what', 'who' and 'when' questions in relation to policy implementation. Following the identification of key issues and problems, the first step is the articulation of the broad policy goals in a policy framework. This spells out directions of development a country wishes to follow for a given sector, e.g. fisheries and aquaculture. By their very nature, these tend to be broad in scope and may typically relate to issues such as sustainable resource exploitation, poverty alleviation, food security and economic growth. Designing a strategy comes second, as a strategy takes each policy goal and envisages how it could be met. It is normal for each policy goal to be supported by a number of different strategies. Also of importance is the specification of cross-cutting strategies in support of more than one policy goal and sometimes other strategy objectives. For e~a~R\~; strategies relatirg to human and institutional capacity development, research, and strengthening cross-sectoral collaboration may all help to support a number of policy goals, as well as the realisation of objectives of a more 'technical' nature. How to go about achieving the strategy objectives is provided in the plan (the third step). The plan specifies the desired results which, if realized, would support each strategy objective. Again, each strategy may have a number of plans supporting it. The fourth and final stage is to specify the detailed activities to be undertaken as part of each plan. These activities should be time-bound, and have allocated responsibilities to those required to undertake them. It is sometimes possible to specify activities at the third stage, and combine them as part of a plan of activities in support of strategies. The curr.ent policy document is based on three steps: policy, strategy, and plan of activities for the development of fisheries and aquaculture in Pakistan. Fisheries and aquaculture policy formulation in Pakistan - the chronology of events Past policies: No national fisheries and aquaculture specific policy has been made in Pakistan in the past. Fisheries issues were covered, to various extents, under agriculture policies or livestock policies., Although reports of the Agriculture Enquiry Committee in the 1970's and of the National Agriculture Commission in 1987 gave some attention to the fisheries sector, they did not make a major impact because problems of the sector were only inadequately addressed. Policies have, however, been made for de.ep sea fishing in 1988, 1995 and 2001 but these were specifically aimed at the promotion of fishing under licensing arrangements in the Exclusive Economic Zone of Pakistan and only marginally covered aspects of local/small-scale coastal ~sheries. 9 Five Year Plans have been prepared in past for medium term planning. A separate committee for fisheries was constituted for the preparation of these plans and its recommendations accommodated. However, none of the five year plans have catered for many of the broad issues faced by those in the fisheries and aquaculture sectors. Government Task Forces for inland and marine fisheries and aquaculture: Two Task Forces were constituted by the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock (MINF AL) of the Government of Pakistan in 2004 for the preparation of National Fisheries Policy. A Task Force dealt with inland fisheries and aquaculture, and the other with marine fisheries anp , aquaculture. Through a collaborative process at Provincial/Areas and federal levels, these two sub­ groups prepared policy documents related to their areas of work. TCP request: In 2004, the Federal Government (MINFAL) approached FAQ to fund a technical cooperation project (TCP) to assist in the process of formulating a policy and a strategy to enhance fisheries and aquaculture development in the country. The TCP (TCP/PAK/3005), approved and funded in May 2005, agreed on the following: Project goal: to create an enabling environment conducive to the sustainable development and management of a growing fisheries and aquaculture sector, with emphasis on its contribution to economic growth, poverty alleviation, food security and environmental conservation. Project purpose: to support the on-going fisheries and. aquaculture policy and strategy development process in Pakistan and to facilitate its implementation. Project outputs: i) An agreement on the appropriate course of actions for the project to follow and required contribution to Pakistan's on-going policy processes; ii) A well-defined fisheries and aquaculture policy and strategy based on good consultation; iii) An effective implementation plan for the policy and strategy at national and Provincial/ Areas levels. It was agreed that all Provinces and Areas of Pakistan should be targeted. The approach used in the TCP: bottom-up and consensus-based policy formulation An FAO TCP inception Workshop was conducted in June 2005, during which a wide range of stakeholders prepared a detailed project implementation plan. The outcomes from the two government task forces were amalgamated into a single "National Fisheries Policy" draft. The contents of this draft were synthesised into a 'policy brief by the international consultant hired by the project, and taken, with the assistance ofNACA-STREAM, through a first round of community consultations across the four provinces. The policy brief was also sent to numerous stakeholders from Provincial/ Areas Governments, Harbour authorities, NGOs etc. who provided their comments in written form. Based on what was learned and recorded during this first phase of community consultations and the feedback received from consulted stakeholders, the draft policy was then redrafted by F AO. Task force members and other project stakeholders from the Government of Pakistan, NACA and an international fisheries consultancy company (Poseidon Ltd.), made observations on its contents, which were then further revised by FAO until a consensus was reached. A round of Provincial/ Areas stakeholder consultations followed, in which participants gave their inputs for prioritization of the various recommendations made in the draft policy document, and on its implementation. Following these Provincial/ Areas stakeholder consultations in two districts of each of the four provinces, the policy document was further modified and re-named ''National Policy and Strategy for Fisheries and Aquaculture Development in Pakistan". Moving upwards from communities to ProvinciaVAreas governments, the policy document was then presented at two Provincial/Areas Workshops to representatives from a wide range of government and non-government institutions and organizations from the four provinces concerned as well as areas of the country. Workshop particrpants used the draft "National Policy and Strategy for Fisheries and Aquaculture Development in Pakistan" as the basis for practical discussion about implementation issues and priorities, and reflected on specificities (e.g. partnerships necessary, timelines, funding and targets) of the activities to achieve the strategy objectives. Outputs from the Provincial/Areas workshops were then incorporated into the "National Policy and Strategy for Fisheries and Aquaculture Development in Pakistan" draft, which was further refined into a final draft. • The contents of this final draft document, and in particular sections related to the implementation .of policy, were thoroughly discussed during a national workshop gathering federal-level government officials from MINF AL and other in-line ministries as well as provincial/area departments, and Chief Province Secretaries. Based on the outputs of the workshop, final amendments were brought to the draft policy document, which was then presented to the Secretary of MINFAL, Provinces' Chief Secretaries and other high-ranking Government Officials during a high-level meeting. Endorsement of the document and its contents was sought and obtained. The legal implications of the "National Policy and Strategy for Fisheries and Aquaculture Development in Pakistan". were evalua,ted by a fisheries legislation expert and are report~d in appended Part ·2. The present po licy document was then suomitted; along with suggested legislative amendments, to the Cabinet for its approval. Institutional arrangements to support the implementation of the policy, in harmony with the Government's desire to emphasise agri-businesses approaches to the development of the fisheries and aquaculture sectors and supported by a number of concept notes for umbrella projects whicrt have been formulated to strengthen the implementation of the policy, are outlined in appended Part 3 of the National Policy and Strategy for Fisheries and Aquaculture Development in Pakistan. 11 Moving upwards from communities to Provincial/Areas governments, the policy document was then presented at two Provincial/Areas Workshops to representatives from a wide range of government and non-government institutions and organizations from the four provinces concerned as well as areas of the country. Workshop participants used the draft "National Policy and Strategy for Fisheries and Aquaculture Development in Pakistan" as the basis for practical discussion about implementation issues and priorities, and reflected on specificities ( e.g. partnerships necessary, timelines, funding and targets) of the activities to achieve the strategy objectives. Outputs from the Provincial/Areas workshops were then incorporated into the "National Policy and Strategy for Fisheries and Aquaculture Development in Pakistan" draft, which was further refined into a final draft. The contents of this final draft document, and in particular sections related to the implementation of policy, were thoroughly discussed during a national workshop gathering federal-level government officials from MINF AL and other in-line ministries • as well as provincial/area departments, and Chief Province Secretaries. Based on the outputs of the workshop, final amendments were brought to the draft policy document, which was then presented to the Secretary of MINFAL, Provinces' Chief Secretaries and other high-ranking Government Officials during a high-level meeting. Endorsement of the document and its contents was sought and obtained. The legal implications of the "National Policy and Strategy for Fisheries and Aquaculture Development in Pakistan" were evaluated .-by a fisheries legislation expert and are reported . in appended Part 2. The present policy document was then submitted, along with suggested legislative amendments, to the Cabinet for its approval. Institutional arrangements to support the implementation of the policy, in harmony with the Government's desire to emphasise agri-businesses approaches to the development of the fisheries and aquaculture sectors and supported by a number of concept notes for umbrella projects which have been formulated to strengthen the implementation of the policy, are outlined in appended Part 3 of the National Policy and Strategy for Fisheries and Aquaculture Development in Pakistan. 11 THE STATUS OF FISHERIES AND AQUACULTURE IN PAKISTAN Overview and impetus for change Overview oftlte current status1of fisheries and aquaculture: The fisheries sector contributes around 1 % to the GDP of Pakistan. Recent government data reported that Pakistan's total fish production for 2006-07 was about 590,000 metric tonnes where 400,000 metric tonnes came from marine resources whereas 190,000 metric tonnes were produced from inland resources including aquaculture. Total value of exports for the period 2006-2007 was registered at US$ 189 millions. Principal export markets are USA, Japan, Sri Lanka, Singapore, the EU and the Gulf States. More than 471,000 fisherfolk, including 287,000 inland fisherfolk, find employment in the sector, while the· secondary sector (fishery products processing, input provision and marketing) provides employment and income to more than 110,000 households (FAO data 2003). Capture fisheries and aquaculture together provid~ employment for around 1 % of the total labour force available in the country. Regarding fish consumption, for Pakistan, there was very little increase in per capita fish consumption (i.e. the estimate of the total supply available for human consumption divided by the population total) from 1.0 kg in 1961 to 2.3 kg in 2001, while the world average over the same period increased from 9.0 kg to 16.3 kg (FAO, 2004). Pakistan is endowed with vast aquatic resources, as indicated in Table 1. Freshwater, brackishwater and marine resources could be utilised for aquaculture development as long as economically efficient and ·envtronmentally sustainable. Table 1: Inventory of Pakistan's aquatic resources, by province. Area in ha Rivers/ streams Canals, drains & abandoned canals Lakes Dams/ reservoirs Waterlogged areas Deltaic area Flood water area Fish farms** Territorial Marine Waters (km) Source: DOF GOP • WWF-Pakistan Sindh 160,000 321,340 110,000 97,000 3,000,000 700,000 * 1,000,000 49,170 352kmx 12 N.Miles . Punjab Balochistan 2,940,000 - 2~,700 - • 6,700 4,047 65,800 6,070 30,000 - -- -- - -- 10,400 100 -- 1,129 X 12 N.Miles N.W.F.P Total 2,408 3,102,408 1.763 346,803 6,362 127,109 26800 195,670 1,600 3;031,600 -- 700,000 - 1,000,000 560 60,230 -- 1,481 X 12 N .Miles ** areas of fish farms are likely to be underestimated as many farms are not registered and no inventory system exists. Concerning aquaculture production, most of the freshwater production comes from the farming of carps. Trout culture is also developing. 12 Challenges: Since 1998, overall fish production has decreased by nearly 2 percent per year. Although this downward trend may be attributed mainly to tb~marine capture sector, inland freshwater resources ofNWFP, Northern Areas and Balochistan are exploited below potential, with low p·roductivity and high poverty levels encountered amongst inland fishing communities. Despite its endowment in natural resources, Pakistan ranks 28th among fishing nations in terms of production, and 50th in terms of export • earnings. Addressing lack of land, seed, .feed and technology for aquaculture production are necessary steps, along with addressing post-harvest losses and improving hygiene conditions which reduce the marketability of fish products and are one of the main constraints t9 export earnings. In addition to the supply of sub-optimal quality fish products on domestic markets, consumers' awareness of the benefits linked to increased fish consumption needs raising. Finally, institutional weaknesses in and outside the fisheries sector, and inadequate capacity of its stakeholders need to be rectified in priority to ensure that both fisheries and aquaculture develop sustainably and in harmony with other sectors of the economy, while receiving the support they need to do so. Government's impetus for change: Over recent years, the fisheries and aquaculture sectors have been gaining an increasing importance in the development policies of the country. The recently (2004) approved Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) of Pakistan, emphasizes ,the significant role of the fisheries sector in the national economy· and for fo~d ·security of the country. The PRSP proposes to address the issue of rural poverty through the accelerated distribution of state-owned land to small farmers, which is of importance to aquaculture development as land availability is an important constraint. Eighty one percent of the farmers have less than 5 hectares available for their activities. The President's Agricultural Relief Package also states that fish culture will be promoted in the areas of Sindh where salinity levels make land unsuitable for crops but suitable for aquaculture. As indicated in GOP's Ten Year Perspective Development Plan 2001-11, agricultural development during the next decade will focus on producing high-value crops, fis}Jeries, livestock and dairy products for export and on supplying raw materials to agro-industries. During the Pakistan Development Forum 2005 held on April 26th of the same year, the fisheries sector was highlighted a number of times. The Prime Minister's speech during the Inaugural Session of this meeting quoted " .. . we are also endeavouring to make our livestock and fisheries sectors more dynamic, vibrant, and competitive with industrial bases and marketing to exploit their full potential... to build on excellent linkages with Iran, Afghanistan, Central Asia and Gulf States ... ". In the same forum, fisheries was identified under the SME sector Phase II development and shrimp farming was declared as one of the major activity under the Value Chain Progress during a presentation at the Pakistan Development Forum 20051 • All of the above indicate the strong interest and willingness of the government to support the development and enhancement of production from the fisheries and aquaculture sectors. 1 http://siteresources.worldbank.org/PAKISTANE)(nJ/Resources/293051-l l l4424648263/SessionII-Salman.pdf 13 POLICY FOR FISHERIES AND AQUACULTURE DEVELOPMENT IN PAKISTAN In light of the constrairtts to address for Pakistan and its people to reap the benefits from fisherfes and aquaculture developmen~ of the ·immer1:se .potential of both sectors and past neglect in agricultural development and planning efforts; the Governm.ent of Pakistan (GOP) has decided to give the sector the attention it deserves. To do so, and through a consultative process, it has 1:iecided upon three policy goals for fisheries and aquaculture. lt bas also agteed on a number of guiding principles, and has identified key players ~d monitoring indicators. The Government's thre~ policy goills: The three policy goals that the Government of Pakistan has set to achjeve·are to: I -• 1. lncrease the contr:ibution ofthe 'fisheries and aquaculture sectors to national economic growth ... :.~J ~~ -~ " • 2. Increase the contrjbuti9n of the f1Sherits and aquacultur:e sectors to poverty alleviation 3. In~r~se the co.ntribution.of the fisheries and aquaculture sectors to food security ;, Fish and other aquatic products are now recognised as ~ing commodities of high importance in the economies, livelihoods and diets of many South Asian countries. Flsheries contributes to national economic growth in many countries where comparative e<;;onomic advantage is derived from appropriate ambient ·conditions and/or fawrabie inpµt, labor and processing costs and facilitating administrative arrangemen~ tin.derlying. efficient production,, dlstribution, export and quality assurance. • With regards to the second goal of poverty alleviation; the United Nations World Summit on Sustainable Deve.lopment 2002, the 2000 Worlq D~velopment Report published by·the World Bank, the UN Millennium Dtclaration adopted in 2000i, and the 19.96 UN World· Food Summit, all CQnsidered poverty alleviation ~ a c.entral priority. While past developn;ient. in,erve)ltiQns in. fisheries were 0.ften implicitly aimed at reducing· poverty, most were not explicitly focused on improving the living conditions of the poor. Rather, they aimed 'to accelerate ~copom.ic- growth solely through technology and infrastructure development and through market-fed economic policies. The lack of an explicit. focus on poverty and the inequita.ble .distributional impacts of development programmes may expl~in the ineffectiveness of many fishery development interventions. As specifically , mentioned, the policy goal of povercy alleviation requires consideration .ofthe distributional' benefits arising· from the sectpr. Furthermore, poverty alleviation encompass.es the dual goals of both poverty reduction (i.e. w~ltb generation and capital accumulation lifting people out of poverty) and poverty prevention (i.e. reducing risks • ·and 2 ihe Millennium Declaration contains the CQmmitment to halve, by the year 2 ()15, the proportion of the world's population whose. income rs less than one dollar ·~ day • 14 increasing safety net functions to reduce vulnerability). Poverty alleviation is thus an inclusive term encompassing both poverty reduction and poverty prevention (and vulnerability reduction) which the strengthening and development of fisheries and aquaculture can address. With regards to the third policy goal food security, at an international conference on the Sustainable Contribution of Fisheries to Food Supply held in Kyoto, Japan in 1995, the 95 participating states approved a Declaration and a Plan of Action to enhance the contribution of fisheries to human food supply. The 1996 World Food Summit stressed the connection between food security and the need for sustaina:ble ~anagement of natural resources. The 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development also focused on food security as a key issue and reiterated a global commitment to responsible fisheries. The Government's guiding principles: To achieve these three policy goals, MINFAL has to recognise the need to work in collaboration with other ministries to address broader concerns than those pertaining only the fisheries and aquaculture sectors. Most fishing communities (inland and coastal) are found to live in extreme poverty conditions and have limited access to resources, such as natural, financial, physical and human capital. This situation is exacerbated by exogenous factors such as · water pollution, controversial management practices of inland and coastal fisheries and high costs of inputs for aquaculture activities, which, all combined, hinder the potential for livelihood diversification and overall quantities of fish produced. By sim\lltaR~oysiy .and adequately targeting the needs of poor communities, as well as those of the'phvate· Jeclor-and forefgnmarkets and investors, fisheries and aquaculture can be changed into dynamic sectors to simultaneously achieve the Government's three policy goals of economic growth, poverty alleviation and food security. In agreeing to these three policy goals and the implementation of the necessary strategy to achieve them, the Government of Pakistan has also committed itself to respect principles of: - good governance, transparency in decision-making and finance management, - fairness and equity, - respect of international treaties, laws and commitments, - participation of all groups and stakeholders, including women, in decision-making processes, - sustainable environmental resource use, management and protection. Roles of the three major stakeholder groups: Government of Pakistan: In addition, in its position of facilitator and regulator, the Government of Pakistan's role will be to: - create a suitable and enabling environment to allow private sector initiatives to thrive while protecting the interests of the most vulnerable groups, - establish the necessary institutions and enhance human capabilities to implement the present policy and support the overall development of the fisheries and aquaculture sectors, - ensure coherence among measures adopted for the fi sheries and aquaculture sectors with those in place in other sectors of the economy, in particular livestock and agriculture. Private sector: As a key partner to the Government in the development of the fisheries and aquaculture sectors, the private sector will: 15 increasing safety net functions to reduce vulnerability). Poverty alleviation is thus an inclusive term encompassing both poverty reduction and poverty prevention (and vulnerability reduction) which the strengthening and development of fisheries and aquaculture can address. With regards to the third policy goal food security, at an international conference on the Sustainable Contribution of Fisheries to Food Supply held in Kyoto, Japan in 1995, the 95 participating states approved a Declaration and a Plan of Action to enhance the contribution of fisheries to human food supply. The 1996 World Food Summit stressed the connection between food security and the need for sustainable management of natural resources. The 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development also focused on food security as a key issue and reiterated. a global commitment to responsible fisheries. The Government's guiding principles: To achieve these three policy goals, MINF AL has to recognise the need to work in collaboration with other ministries to address broader concerns than those pertaining only the fisheries and aquaculture sectors. Most fishing communities (inland and coastal) are found to live in extreme poverty conditions and have limited access to resources, such as natural, financial, physical and human capital. This situation is exacerbated by exogenous factors such as • water pollution, controversial management practices of inland and coastal fisheries and high costs of inputs for aquaculture activities, which, all combined, hinder the potential for livelihood diversification and overall quantities of fish produced. By sintultaheously and adequately targeting the needs of poor communities, as well as those of the private sector and foreign markets and investors, fisheries and aquaculture can be changed into dynamic sectors to simultaneously achieve the Government's three policy goals of economic growth, poverty alleviation and food security. In agreeing to these three policy goals and the implementation of the necessary strategy to achieve them, the Government of Pakistan has also committed itself to respect principles of: - good governance, transparency in decision-making and finance management, - fairness and equity, - respect of international treaties, laws and commitments, - participation of all groups and stakeholders, including women, in decision-making processes, - sustainable environmental resource use, management and protection. Roles of the three major stakeholder groups: Government of Pakistan: In addition, in its position of facilitator and regulator, the Government of Pakistan's role will be to: - create a suitable and enabling environment to allow private sector initiatives to thrive while protecting the interests of the most vulnerable groups, - establish the necessary institutions and enhance human capabilities to implement the present policy and support the overall development of the fisheries and aquaculture sectors, - ensure coherence among measures adopted for the fisheries and aquaculture sectors with those in place in other sectors of the economy, in particular livestock and agriculture. Private sector: As a key partner to the Government in the development of the fisheries and aquaculture sectors, the private sector will: 15 - shape the future growth of the fisheries, and in particular aquaculture, sectors, in terms of output and value, - be sustainable vectors of economic and social development at community, district and Provincial/ Areas levels. Producers' organisations: Supporting private sector' s interests, producers' organisations will: - build the necessary institutions for the representation of fishermen and fish farmers at the Provincial/Areas and national levels, • ' - be a force for collective access to knowledge, information and inputs - influence the overall development of the fisheries and aquaculture sectors. Key indicators of progress: Key measurable indicators of progress towards the achievement of the three policy goals of national economic growth, poverty alleviation and food security, will include: - higher per capita fish consumption - improved fishers' and fish-farmers' incomes - creation of well-paid employment in the fisheries and aquaculture sectors - increased export earnings from aquatic products. 16 STRATEGY TO INCREASE NATIONAL FISH SUPPLY BASED ON SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION AND IMPROVED MARKETING OF AQUATIC PRODUCTS To achieve the three policy goals outlined above, the Government's underlying strategy is t<> increase national fish supply based on sustainable production and improved marketing of aquatic products. The targeted production growth rate for the overall sector (including capture and culture, from marine and inland areas) has been established at 10% per annum. This target corresponds to the extra production needed to increase fish consumption from 1.2kg to 5kg per capita per year. Although it is unlikely that capture fisheries can grow at such a pace, it is estimated that most of the production increases will come from aquaculture, from both inland and c9astal areas. Although the policy timeframe, in coherence with the country's development policies, has a long­ term horizon to 2025, the strategy and its implementation plan (next section) have a timeframe of 10 years to kick-start fisheries and aquaculqife activities and ~nsure that sustained levels of production are reached to achieve the 10% annual growth target envisaged. The present strategy (and its implementation plan) should be re-evaluated and, if need be, re-oriented, according to the progress made towards the policy goals and the needs of the sectors at the end of this period. Four fundamental common elements: The achievement of the strategy objective, to increase national fish supply based on sustainable production and improved marketing of aquatic products, rest first and foremost on the establishment of a conducive environment that will create suitable conditions for sustainable production and improved marketing to take place. This conducive environment will be created through the realisation of four fundamental "common elements", or cross-cutting pillars supporting for the overall development of both fisheries and aquaculture. They are: ommon element A. Strengthening of cross-sectoral collaborations. B. Institutional improvements and developments. C. Enhancement of research and development applied to fisheries and aquaculture D. Development of human resources and skills "Common elements" refers to the fact that these four items underlie and are prerequisites to the realisation of the three technical strategy axes presented hereafter. 17 Three strategy axes: Simultaneously, and within the conducive environment created by the realisation of the four fundamental common elements, sustainable production and improved marketing will be achieved through three strategy axes which are: 1. Sustainable development of inland and coastal aquaculture production 2. Sustainable increase in inland and marine capture fisheries production 3. Resolving post-harvest issues Whilst common elements strive to create an enabling environment, the strategy axes relate to technical directions covering the development of inland and coastal aquaculture, m~ine and inland capture fisheries, and resolving of post-harvest issues. Strategy axis #3 deals specifically with the handling, storage, value-adding/processing, transport and marketing/commercialisation of captured and cultured species. . ~.,: \ ;: !~-~~ ~;-:,~ -- -~ ,; Figure 1 outlines the structure of the strategy and introduces the objectives of the Plan for the fulfilment of each axis and element. 18 Policy g, Strategy Strategy axes (la, lb, . 2a, 2b, 3) Outline of plan objectives (PO) )trategy com :lements :A,B, C, D) Out}ine of plan objectives (PO) (activities not detailed here) I 1. Contribution to national economic growth, 2. poverty alleviation, 3. food security I • I Increase national fish supply based on sustainable production and improved marketing of aquatic products I .& ... ... - -1. Sustainable development 2. Sustainable increase in capture 3. Resolving post-harvest issues of of aquaculture production fisheries production captured and cultured species .-,,,r ~- - - .& .. -IA - Strengthening of inland 1B - Development of aquaculture 2A - Marine capture fisheries 28 - Inland capture fisheries PO 3./: Improve the handling and aquaculture production in coastal areas PO 2A. I: Rehabilitate marine aquatic PO 2B. I: Rehabililale inland aquatic preservation of fish and aqualic praducis. PO IA.I: Develop high potential PO IB.I: Develop highpolential habitats damaged by pol/uiion and habitals damaged by pol/ulion and PO 3.2: Add value (transformation/ zones for inland aquaculture. zones for coaslal aquaculture. environmental degrada1ion. environmental degradation. processing) to aqualic products. PO IA.2: Allroctprivatesectvr PO I B.2: Allroct private secior PO 2A.2: Control over-exploilation o; PO 28.2: Control over-exploilotion oJ PO J.3: Improve transportation of aquatic inves/ment in inland aquaculture investmenl in coastal aquaculture marint resources. inland fisheries resources. products. produclion. production. PO 2A.3: Promote susloinable PO 2B.3:Promo/e sustainable PO 3.4: Improve commercialisation of PO IA.3: Encourage the production PO I B.3: Facilitate the establishment management of marine aquatic management oJ inland aquatic aquatic products. of aquatic species able lo compete on of the culture of shrimp,finfish and resources. resources. PO J.5: Improve access of aquatic products domestic and international markets. mud crab in coastal areas ofSindh PO 2A.4: Establish sustainable PO 28.4: Establish sustainable to intemotional morkeis. PO IA.4: Ensure that environmental and Bolochislan. harvesting and ulilisotion of unloppeo exploitation of untapped inland PO 3.6: Improve dissemination of morkel concerns are fully token occo11n1 /11 PO I B.4: Ensure /hat environmelllal marine resources. J resources. and product information. inland aquaculture developmenl. concerns ore fully la ken accounl in PO ]A.5: Promote fisherfo//cs • sofel)I, PO 28.5: Promote spartfishi1ig coastal aquacuflure devo?lopment. at sea. . ,' activities in inland water bodifS. ' PO 2A6: Promote sport fishing r activities in coastal waters. . ; .... I r ... A. Strengthening of cross-sectoral developments PO A I : Esloblish s trong partnerships to ollract privolt inves/ment in aquaculture (inland and coastal) and post-harves/ activities PO A2: Increase coordination of multiple uses of freshwater (surface and underground) PO AJ: Es1ab/ish strong collaborative partnerships and l'rocesses to ensure adequate and sustainable waler flows in major rivers and tributaries and re-eSloblish balanced water regimes/uses and ecosystems PO A4: Support wide-ranging livelihood needs.in fishing communities PO A5: Implement in1egru1ed cooslo/ area management and reduce resource conflict occurrence and environmental degradation In cooslol areas PO A6: Promote environmental conservation and adopl measures to prevent damage to aquatic biodiversity by pollution and environmental degrodo1io11 B. Institutional improvements and development within the fisheries and aquaculture sectors PO B ~: S1reng1hen Cullen/fisheries instilu/ions through a be lier demarcation of roles and responsibilities PO 82: Reform/re-organise Provincial/Areas and district outhorilies and exisling inslilulions PO BJ: Support the formation of productrs • organisations PO B4: S1udy and reform the exisllng contract system for lhe uploilotion offreshwa/er bodies PO BJ: Address curre111fisheries and aquaculture legislation and regulolions shortcomings PO B6: Recognise and promole 1he role of communllies in fisheries monagemenl in coastal and Inland areas C. Development of human resources and skills PO Cl : Providefisheriu and aquaculture training programmes and suitable troiningfacili!ies PO C2: Improve utens/011 services for the fisheries and aquaculture sec/ors D. Enhancement of research and development applied to fisheries and aquaculture ~ PO DI: Enhance .rupporl to and improve quality and reltvance of research and dewlopmen/ applied to fishuies and oquocullure PO D2: Dew/op and support technical research programmes ~ <J PO DJ: Increase the reliability of fisheries and aquaculture s/Olistlca/ do1a country-wide PO D4: Monilor and ensure that s,,cial, economic, marlceling and insli/Utionol issues are adequa1t/y deal/ with in ~elation to fisher/ts and aquaculture development <J