Technical Diagnostic for Pakistan’s Fisheries Sector Pakistan

Agence Française de Développement (AFD) - Project Dates:
January 2017 - December 2017

Description of Project:
The Pakistan fisheries sector can generate a range of enduring benefits for the country—direct benefits such as more secure employment, income, and food for fish workers from better productivity and processing, and indirect benefits such as greater contributions to the national treasury through improved and higher-value exports. Better fisheries management also clearly entails more prudent management and sustainable development of the marine environment, which is crucial in view of its importance to improving the health of fish stocks. With fisheries currently providing a negligible 1 percent contribution to gross domestic product (GDP) and physical exports, respectively, opportunities to advise and support the Government of Pakistan in reforming the sector will undoubtedly provide a pathway from poverty for resource dependent fishers and for greater prosperity for Pakistan’s coastal regions, particularly if greater emphasis is placed on the equitable distribution of benefits to local stakeholders. With increased global attention being placed on issues concerning countries’ “blue economy” and with a range of solutions in hand, including on sustainable fisheries reform, there has never been a better time to open conversations with the Government of Pakistan on revitalizing Pakistan’s fisheries sector to reduce poverty and promote shared prosperity.

The objective was two-fold: (1) to initiate a first-ever WBG/AFD engagement with the Government of Pakistan in support of reform and revitalization of their fisheries sector; (2) to prepare a technical briefing note on the issues facing the sector with policy recommendations for a reform pathway, with the aim to revitalize the fisheries sector.

Services Provided:

FD with the Environment and Natural Resources (ENR) Global Practice and Trade & Competitiveness (T&C) Global Practice of the World Bank Group sought the services of Poseidon to conduct a technical diagnostic of Pakistan's fisheries sector and provide recommendations for reform, with the aim to revitalize the fisheries sector. Working closely with a post-harvest orientated team from UNIDO, the Poseidon team:

Prepared a detailed technical diagnostic analysis (TDA) of the fisheries sector
Held a cross-sectoral, national workshop in Karachi to discuss the TDA findings and to develop initial ideas for an Action Plan
Prepared an Action Plan for fisheries and aquaculture in Pakistan.