In a historic move to reshape the province’s maritime economy, the Balochistan Assembly’s Standing Committee on Fisheries convened in Gwadar on Monday to gather critical stakeholder feedback on the proposed Balochistan Fisheries and Aquaculture Bill 2026.
The session—marking the first time an official Standing Committee meeting has been held outside the provincial capital of Quetta—brought together lawmakers, government administrators, local fishermen, and industry experts directly to the coast to shape legislative reforms.
Key Highlights of the Consultations
- Direct Community Engagement: Holding the committee session in Gwadar represents a significant shift toward decentralizing legislative policymaking and ensuring coastal communities have a direct voice in governance.
- Tackling Illegal Fishing: Local fishermen voiced urgent concerns over illegal trawling, wire nets, and destructive fishing gear, urging authorities to enforce strict prohibitions to safeguard fragile marine ecosystems and protect traditional livelihoods.
- Science-Backed Sustainability: Stakeholders reached a consensus on formulating a scientifically aligned “Fish Season Closure Policy” synchronized with local fish breeding cycles to allow marine stocks to replenish.
- Years in the Making: Committee officials noted that the draft legislation is the culmination of more than two years of consultations with scientific experts, community leaders, and relevant regulatory bodies.
Legal Framework to Modernize the Sector
Chaired by MPA Maulana Hidayatur Rehman Baloch, the session was attended by committee members including Provincial Minister for Planning and Development Mir Zahoor Ahmed Buledi, MPA Abdul Majeed Badini, and MPA Zafar Agha.
The committee reviewed the proposed legal and administrative mechanisms designed to modernize aquaculture, regulate regional waters, and establish long-term protections for both coastal workers and marine biodiversity. Officials emphasized that the input gathered during the Gwadar session will be crucial in refining the bill before it is presented to the full assembly for final enactment.
Pakistan’s fish and seafood exports experienced a major boost during the first quarter of the current fiscal year, reaching $125.4 million—a 74.4% increase in value compared to $71.9 million recorded during the same period two fiscal years ago.
Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry announced that export volumes grew by 74.8% over the same three-year period, jumping from 35,294 metric tonnes (MT) in Q1 FY2024–25 to 61,679 MT in Q1 FY2026–27. On a year-on-year basis, export earnings rose from $93.28 million (43,995 MT) in Q1 FY2025–26 to current levels.
Minister Chaudhry attributed the surge to strategic initiatives by the Marine Fisheries Department, which achieved record annual export earnings of $568 million in FY2025–26. Key milestones include entering new markets such as Russia, taking steps to resume shrimp exports to the United States, and reviving the fishing licensing regime within Pakistan’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
Highlighting the fisheries sector’s role in driving Pakistan’s blue economy, Chaudhry emphasized the need to address capacity, institutional, and technical bottlenecks to expand access to high-value markets like the European Union.
