Pakistan heightens fish imports

Pakistan, a country in excess of US$230-million seafood exports, has surprisingly started importing fish on large-scale due to diminishing seafood stocks.

Pangasius, a saltwater fish, has started reaching the local markets with the price range of PKR260-290 (US$3.10-3.46) per kilogramme, according to seafood importers on Wednesday (Apr 7).

Nearly 1,200 tonnes of canned fillets of Pangasius have been imported during the last five months, according to DG Marine Fisheries Department (MFD), mostly from Thailand and Vietnam.

Recently, the country has imported 500 tonnes of Rahu, a freshwater fish, from Myanmar. Priced between PKR110-120 (US$1.31-1.43) per kg, the fish has seen a noticeable rise in market share.

The rise in fish imports is seen to have an adverse impact on the country's aquaculture sector, as the local production of freshwater fish is losing out to the low-priced Pangasius and Rohu. "Even the price of ordinary local fish is higher than these imported species," said fish farmers, adding that no high quality species is available at less than PKR400 (US$4.79) per kg.

Pakistan's seafood production peaked in 1993 with 499,159 tonnes and went down to 474,665 tonnes in 1999. Production dropped drastically to 344,684 tonnes in 2008, according to MFD.

Excessive fishing is linked to the decline in seafood stocks during the last decade. Illegal fishing in Pakistan adds to the problem as illegal net-traps haul 60% of inedible fish and shrimp every day, greatly reducing the volume of catch and threatening the survival of fish species in the country.