By Dr Nazia Sher
Pakistan’s fisheries sector should be one of the strongest pillars of its emerging blue economy. With a coastline of over 1,000 kilometres and a resource-rich Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), the country has the natural foundations for a thriving seafood industry. Yet, despite this potential, fisheries contribute less than 0.5% of GDP, while annual marine production remains around 0.68–0.79 million tonnes, well below sustainable capacity (FAO, 2023). The gap between potential and performance is not ecological. It is institutional.
The Pakistan Blue Economy Report (Planning Commission, 2026) identifies fisheries as a structurally underperforming sector shaped by fragmented governance, weak coordination, and limited regulatory enforcement. Pakistan is not short of fish; it is short of systems. The 18th Constitutional Amendment devolved fisheries to provinces. In principle, this was meant to improve efficiency and local ownership. In practice, it has produced institutional fragmentation without coordination.
Federal bodies, provincial fisheries departments, and maritime enforcement agencies now operate in parallel. Mandates overlap. Responsibilities blur. Coordination is minimal. The result is predictable: weak licensing systems, inconsistent monitoring, poor data collection, and almost no reliable national stock assessment framework. Pakistan still does not have a unified fisheries database capable of supporting evidence-based policymaking. FAO (2023) warns that fragmented governance systems are strongly associated with declining fish stocks and weak enforcement. Pakistan reflects exactly this pattern.
Pakistan’s fisheries laws exist, but enforcement is weak and uneven. Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing remains widespread along the coast. This is not only an environmental issue; it is an economic one. It undermines legal fishers, reduces export quality, and erodes long-term sustainability. A major gap is the absence of a functional vessel monitoring system (VMS) and a national seafood traceability framework. Without these, Pakistan struggles to meet international sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) standards required for high-value seafood markets.
Globally, this matters more than ever. FAO (2024) notes that aquaculture now exceeds 94 million tonnes annually, overtaking capture fisheries as the dominant source of aquatic food production. Countries that fail to modernise traceability and regulatory systems risk being locked out of premium global supply chains. Pakistan is already falling behind. The fisheries value chain is also constrained by weak infrastructure. Karachi Fish Harbour handles more than 90% of national seafood exports, creating severe congestion, hygiene issues, and inefficiencies. Secondary harbours such as Pasni have deteriorated due to siltation and poor maintenance, while Gwadar, Ormara, and Jiwani remain underdeveloped despite their strategic importance. The cost of this imbalance is high.
According to the Pakistan Business Council (2024), 20–30% of seafood is lost post-harvest due to inadequate cold chain infrastructure, poor ice supply, weak storage facilities, and inefficient transport systems. These losses directly reduce export earnings and fisher incomes. In aquaculture, the situation is equally constrained. Production stands at around 159,000 tonnes, far below regional peers such as India and Bangladesh. The sector suffers from weak hatchery systems, poor broodstock quality, underdeveloped feed supply chains, and limited adoption of modern systems such as Biofloc and Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS). Feed alone accounts for 50–60% of production costs globally (FAO), yet Pakistan’s feed sector remains inefficient and fragmented.
Globally, fisheries and aquaculture are shifting towards high-value, technology-driven production systems. But Pakistan remains largely stuck in low-productivity capture fisheries with limited value addition. FAO (2024) reports that more than one-third of global fish stocks are overexploited. This makes sustainable governance not optional but essential. The Pakistan Blue Economy Report (2026) warns that without structural reform, Pakistan risks further marginalisation in global seafood trade. The world is moving towards sustainable aquaculture and traceable seafood systems. Pakistan is not moving fast enough to keep pace. Pakistan does not lack policies or isolated initiatives; it lacks integration.
On the infrastructure side, Karachi Fish Harbour requires urgent modernisation, while Pasni must be rehabilitated and Gwadar, Ormara, and Jiwani developed as functional fisheries hubs. Cold chain infrastructure, processing facilities, hatcheries, and aquafeed production must be prioritised to reduce losses and increase value addition. Finally, Pakistan needs a dedicated National Aquaculture Development Strategy to promote climate-smart farming, private investment, and export-oriented production clusters.
Pakistan’s fisheries sector is not failing due to nature; it is failing due to governance. The country has the coastline, the resources, and the market opportunity. What it lacks is coordination, enforcement, and long-term planning. Evidence from FAO (2023–2024) and the Pakistan Blue Economy Report (2026) is clear: without urgent institutional reform, Pakistan will remain a marginal player in a rapidly expanding global blue economy. The choice is no longer technical. It is political.
(The writer is a research associate at the National Institute of Maritime Affairs (NIMA), Pakistan. She focuses on fisheries maritime governance and policy, and blue economy development in Indian Ocean. She can be reached at editorial@metro-morning.com)
