By Hania Ajaz
Pakistan may be overlooking a strategically significant opportunity with the potential to reshape its blue economy: marine bioprospecting. While commonly framed as the simple idea of extracting useful compounds from marine life, it is, however, a far more substantial domain. It operates at the intersection of marine biotechnology, high-value bioproducts, and pharmaceuticals. Globally, each of these domains is part of multi-billion-dollar industries. Contemporary projections indicate that marine biotechnology alone is expected to reach a valuation of approximately 11.21 billion dollars by 2031. With a coastline of over 1,000 kilometers and an Exclusive Economic Zone of approximately 240,000 square kilometers, Pakistan is not constrained by a lack of marine resources.
What it lacks is a strategic approach to transform this genetic diversity into tangible economic and technological power. The global pharmaceutical industry has already revealed the potential beneath the ocean’s surface. Several life-saving drugs trace their origins to marine organisms. Cytarabine was first isolated from a marine sponge and is widely used in the treatment of leukaemia. Ziconotide, marketed as Prialt, is derived from cone snail venom and offers relief for severe chronic pain. Trabectedin, marketed as Yondelis and extracted from a sea squirt, is used to treat cancers such as soft tissue sarcoma. Scientific literature, including studies published in Marine Drugs, confirms that dozens of approved medicines have emerged from marine species, with many more still in development.
Beyond medicine, marine organisms produce hydrolytic enzymes that function in extreme environments. These enzymes are already being used in detergents, food processing, and biofuel production, with cold-adapted variants helping to reduce industrial energy consumption and microbial contamination by operating efficiently at low temperatures. This indicates that the ocean should not only be considered a resource but also a zone of innovation. Norway is one of the most relevant examples of using marine bioprospecting as a strategic source of income. In the 1990s, the Norwegian government reduced its dependence on oil revenues and invested in marine genetic resources.
This investment was not limited to collection and sampling but was also extended to the commercialization of these resources through state institutions such as Marbank, the Norwegian College of Fishery Science, and the Institute of Marine Research. Norway also established legal frameworks to protect these resources, including the Marine Resources Act of 2008 and the Nature Diversity Act of 2009, which boosted public and private funding and ultimately contributed to the success of this industry. Another example of marine bioprospecting can be found in Australia. Although Australia already had a stable economy in part due to assets such as the Great Barrier Reef, its core motive for investing in marine bioprospecting was to utilize its biodiversity to maintain market competitiveness and commercialize its resources.
This framework, adopted under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, formally entered into force in January 2026. It establishes mechanisms that safeguard equitable benefit sharing of marine genetic resources, the transfer of marine technology, and environmental impact assessments. For countries such as Pakistan, this is not merely another legal milestone but a strategic turning point. However, marine bioprospecting also requires national regulation. Unregulated bioprospecting may result in illegal sample collection, overseas patents, and unfair benefit sharing. This imbalance has shaped not only commercial outcomes but also global governance debates. Pakistan is a party to the Convention on Biological Diversity and has joined the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit-sharing.
With the adoption of the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction agreement, capacity building and the transfer of marine technology have become central pillars of marine governance. It provides for research partnerships, scientific laboratories, and technology transfer mechanisms, along with research funding to strengthen capacity and improve infrastructure related to marine genetic resources. This presents an opportunity for Pakistan to access international funding, training, and research support in marine biotechnology and genome science. Moreover, limited scientific capacity remains a constraint for Pakistan. Marine bioprospecting requires genomic sequencing and compound testing systems, along with cold storage facilities. Certified marine biobanks require major investments, often running into millions, as well as digital gene databases.
Without reliable funding, many researchers will be unable to participate in this rapidly expanding field of marine genetic resource science. Additionally, Pakistan risks becoming merely a supplier of samples rather than a holder of patents due to limited policy development. A single-window permit system could reduce delays between government departments. Research grants should also support innovation rather than focusing solely on academic output. Marine bioprospecting will not replace fisheries or port development, but it can add a critical scientific and analytical dimension to Pakistan’s blue economy.
(The writer is a research officer at the National Institute of Maritime Affairs (NIMA) Pakistan. The views expressed are her own. She can be reached at editorial@metro-morning.com)
