Threat to Livelihood

Fishermen might have got legal status of laborer but their biggest problems are still unresolved

QUETTA: Samad lives in a small fishermen’s village—a hamlet comprising a few dozen huts of thatched roofs and mud walls—at the coast of the Sapt area in Gwadar district.

Samad is one of the around 90,000 fishermen in southern Balochistan’s coastal areas whom the provincial government has recently given the legal status of “laborer”, a status that will allow the members of this community to get a number of rights including the right to form labor unions.

However, Samad does not seem very excited after this change in his status as he believes that the biggest issue that the fishermen of the province’s coastal area are facing is something else.

“Our biggest problem is illegal fishing trawlers,” he said, squatting on the deck of a fishing boat. “Our livelihood is at stake due to these trawlers from Sindh,” he added.

Recently, the people of Gwadar – led by a firebrand cleric, Maulana Hidayatur Rehman – staged a two-month long marathon sit-in to protest against the alleged non-implementation of an agreement signed between the Maualana’s Haq Do movement and the provincial government in December 2021.

According to the agreement, the provincial government was to ensure that shipping trawlers from Sindh do not enter the territorial waters of Balochistan while also taking measures to reduce the number of security checkpoints in the coastal districts and facilitating trade with neighboring Iran.

“However, despite the protest, Illegal trawlers continue to catch fish in our sea. This fishing through trawlers makes it difficult for the local fisherman to find a good catch” he said.

Trawling is a method of fishing that involves pulling a trawl, a fishing net, through the water behind one or more boats. Trawls are pulled along the bottom of the sea or in mid-water at a specified depth.

According to the Science website, fishing boats that drag nets along the seafloor to catch seafood can indiscriminately harm marine life and destroy habitats.

Dilganj, another fisherman from Sapt, believes the change in fishermen’s status is a positive development but declares illegal fish trawlers as a major problem.  “Illegal fishing is taking place in our sea and this is endangering our livelihood,” he said.

He acknowledged that the provincial government had recently issued health cards to fishermen but expressed skepticism about their utility. “The chief minister has decided to give us a health card but it will not help us. Our sea is unsafe and it should be made safe first.”

However, Jamaat Jahangir, president of the Gwadar Fishermen Union, expressed “his sincere gratitude” to Balochistan Chief Minister Quddus Bizenjo and the provincial assembly lawmaker from Gwadar Mir Hammal Kalmati for “resolving the problems of fishermen”.

In a statement issued on January 14, Jahangir said the decision of the provincial government to change the status of fishermen and issue them health cards will protect their rights and interests and help raise their standard of living.

“The government has also allocated 200 hectares of land in Gwadar for a housing project for fishermen.”

Saeed Baloch, senior vice chairman of the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum (PFF) also hailed the move. “So far around one hundred thousand fishermen in the province were deprived of legal privileges and facilities. Now these workers can get a share in government housing and social security schemes as well as old age pension facilities.”

Baloch said fishermen’s labor unions do not exist so far.

“Now they can form trade unions to fight for their rights and voice their concerns. The province of Sindh has already amended the labor laws and given the status of workers to the fishermen,” he said.

According to the PFF official, after getting the status of laborer, the fishermen will be in a better position to get employment and sell fish and bargain with the owners of big launches.

The initiative

Recently, Balochistan Labor and Manpower Department issued a notification, announcing the government’s decision to give fishermen the status of laborer in order to protect “interests, rights and employment” of fishermen.

The notification said the fishing boats had now been declared as “commercial establishments”.

Granting the status of laborer to fishermen will provide legal protection to the interests and rights of the people associated with this business and improve their socio-economic status, it said. Earlier, the Balochistan Fisheries Department drafted a summary in this regard in consultation with local fishermen, whose total registered members in the province is 89,886.

The health card

The Balochistan government has decided to also issue health cards to the fishermen registered with the fisheries department. In the first phase, the cards will be issued to the fishermen of Gwadar, to be followed by the fishermen in Lasbela and Hub.

According to an official, the health cards will help fishermen in getting free medical treatment at different facilities. “It has been a longstanding demand of the fishermen community and the Department of Fisheries has played a fundamental role in this regard,” he said.

In a statement, the Balochistan government’s spokesperson Farah Azeem Shah said Balochistan CM Abdul Quddus Bizenjo is committed to protecting the interests, rights and employment of fishermen.

“Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Abdul Quddus Bizenjo has approved the establishment of a housing scheme—The Fisherman Colony—for local fishermen in Gwadar district. “Under the project, 200 hectares of land will be provided to the Gwadar Development Authority (GDA). Rs300 million are initially allocated for this project. The CM has approved a summary in this regard on behalf of the Planning and Development Department,” she said.