By Ayesha Ibad
Pakistan’s coastline, stretching more than 1,001 km along the Arabian Sea, represents a strategically significant yet underutilised marine asset base. The Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) hosts diverse biological resources, including seaweeds, shellfish, crustaceans, microorganisms and microalgae, with growing applications in pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, biomaterials and environmental sectors. These uses are not merely hypothetical; marine-derived compounds already support well-known pharmaceutical and nutraceutical products on a global scale, especially omega-3-based formulations and other bioactive molecules derived from marine organisms.
Within Pakistan, several researchers have highlighted the nutritional and commercial value of marine resources. A study published in Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems reported high protein content, balanced essential amino acid profiles and strong antioxidant activity in native species such as black tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon), spiny lobster (Panulirus ornatus) and cuttlefish (Sepia pharaonis), demonstrating their potential for functional food and nutraceutical development. However, these scientific explorations have not translated into a structured innovation ecosystem capable of sustaining innovation or converting knowledge into tangible outcomes.
The constraint lies less in resource availability and more in governance architecture. Marine policies remain oriented towards conventional fisheries, maritime administration and port activity rather than knowledge-driven bioeconomic development. As a result, scientific activity exists, but it is loosely connected to policy direction, institutional coordination and commercialisation pathways. The outcome is a sector that reflects a semblance of activity without the institutional depth required for long-term value creation.
The institutional framework is dispersed across multiple federal and provincial entities. Fisheries and Blue Economy activities are governed by the Ministry of Maritime Affairs, while the NIO, PCSIR, leading universities and provincial ministries oversee research, environmental control and innovation. Although these organisations possess technical capacity, their mandates do not align strategically within a coherent marine biotechnology framework. This fragmentation has produced a coordination deficit. Research agendas are developed independently of industrial demand and national priorities, while policy remains detached from scientific advancement.
The divergence becomes even more apparent when industry is considered. Pakistan’s multinational pharmaceutical and nutraceutical companies have already commercialised marine-derived inputs such as omega-3 fatty acids in established formulations used for cardiovascular and metabolic health. However, these value chains rely heavily on imports and are not grounded in native marine biotechnology research.
Thus, in the absence of a dedicated coordinating mechanism, marine biotechnology lacks an institutional node capable of integration. In this context, a Marine Biotechnology and Blue Resources Council under the Ministry of Maritime Affairs may provide a strategic interface to harmonise institutional roles and consolidate research priorities without restructuring existing bodies.
Pakistan does not yet have a dedicated legal framework for marine biotechnology. Relevant provisions are scattered across environmental, fisheries, biosafety and maritime laws, none of which were designed to address marine genetic innovation. This fragmented regulatory situation creates ambiguity in access procedures, sampling permissions, benefit-sharing and commercialisation channels. As a result, research outputs often remain confined to academic dissemination rather than progressing towards applied innovation. The lack of an Access and Benefit-Sharing (ABS) framework further undermines regulatory coherence, particularly as global norms increasingly emphasise equitable management of genetic resources. Pakistan must integrate its institutional and legal frameworks with emerging international frameworks to comply with the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement, which is reshaping governance norms for marine genetic resources.
Blue economy initiatives have yet to develop integrated systems that link research findings with industrial application. Innovations in marine biotechnology, such as seaweed production, microbial applications and biodegradable materials, remain at a pilot stage and lack clear pathways for scaling. This reflects a break in the value chain connecting markets, industry and research institutions. Without such integration, marine biotechnology continues to be a heavily researched but economically underutilised field. Strengthening technology transfer mechanisms, incubation platforms and public–private partnerships is central to bridging this gap.
Pakistan currently focuses more on downstream consumption and formulation rather than upstream discovery and development of marine bioactive substances. Yet the future of marine biotechnology in Pakistan will be shaped more by governance coherence than by resource abundance. An integrated governance model based on institutional coordination, regulatory clarity, implementation capability and human capital development could help reposition marine biotechnology within Pakistan’s emerging bioeconomy. Without such alignment, the sector will continue to exist in a space of potential rather than performance, where opportunity is evident but outcomes remain only partially realised.
(The writer is a research officer and Associate Editor of Maritime Watch Magazine at National Institute of Maritime Affairs. She is also an MS Scholar in Environmental Sciences at Bahria University Karachi Campus. She can be reached at editorial@metro-morning.com)
