Not only that, according to The Nation, but "depleting fishery stocks and poor fishery management risks a total disaster after a few years if attention is not paid to restore and revive the marine resources. There is hardly any notable progress in fish and shrimp culture which is the need of the day because more than 50% of fishery exports have now switched over to cultivated fish."
Demand for wild fish has slowed, the newspaper said, and it is sought by importers only as a fill-in when supplies dry up from the world's major fish exporting countries, when it is available at a much cheaper price than farmed fish or is conveniently available from a lesser exporting country like Pakistan.
China may pay a higher price for cuttlefish and squid because cephalopods are only a seasonal variety with a short catch season. As for shrimp, there are more than half a dozen varieties caught in Pakistani seas but they aren't available all year round. Buyers like China may cash in on the short term, and exporters likewise, but that kind of market can't be relied on long term.
Total reliance on any one market is unwise, The Nstion said, as witness Pakistan's past dependence on the European Union, Japan and the United States -- all of which have suddenly blacklisted Pakistan for one reason or the other. Although Pakistani seafood exporters have won a few alternative markets besides China, they don't offer stable prospects; proper fishery management and quality control is are essential to win back the huge lost markets markets like the EU, Japan and the US.
