He said that the species are falling off with low breeding. He said since 1999, shark species stocks have reduced by 81 percent and their further decline continues "The sharks are also hunted in Iran and Oman. In Pakistan, the fishermen net more than what is needed and do it excessively," said the minister.
He further said that the farm fisheries in Sindh have not reduced. He said that Badin had 114 fishing farms in 2014, 119 in 2015, 127 in 2016, Tando Bago had 120 in 2014, 127 in 2015 and 129 in 2016 and Talhar had 38 in 2014, 45 in 2015 and 49 in 2016. He said that there is no built-in medical facility on vessels; however, the government is taking steps to ensure healthcare assistance across the coastal belt communities. Malkani informed the house that the provincial government will soon announce a monetary aid policy for the families of fishermen arrested by the Indian maritime forces. He said that each fisherman family, whose bread-earner is jailed in India will be paid Rs 10,000 per month to make both ends meet. He said that the government has approved the summary of the policy.
"Government is also founding model colonies for the fishermen at Zero Point Badin, besides providing them with fishing nets, vessel engines, plastic crates, bicycles, lifejackets and boats," he said, adding that Pakistan Mercantile Marine registers all vessels operating in the country's waters under the Pakistan Merchant Shipping Ordinance of 2001, but, he pointed out that boats from Balochistan rarely follows the rules.
Replying to a call-attention notice of MQM's Heer Ismail Soho, Sindh Health Minister, Dr Sikandar Mendhro expressed concern over the fast-spreading Chikengunya disease in the province. He said that there is no vaccine to treat the epidemic.
"We conducted several attempts in different areas to catch tiger mosquitoes but failed to find one," he told the house. He said that the disease was first discovered in Malir last year where some 63,000 people in Saudabad suffered from it. At present, he said, there are around 75,000 patients who are diagnosed with the epidemic. He said though the disease has killed about 1000 patients around the world, by the grace of Allah, no such death has been reported in the province.
The house also discussed the recent controversy over the donkey hides found in Karachi. MQM's Dilawar Qureshi pointed out that discovery of some 4736 donkey skins in the metropolis is a matter of concern for the public. He asked the PPP government to explain its policy in this connection. "A donkey hide is priced at Rs 25,000 while a live donkey costs between rupees 100,000 and rupees 300,000," he said, adding that owner cannot sell the animal's hide for Rs 25, 000 while he bought that at Rs 100,000 to the minimum. He said it means its meat must have been sold to earn remaining money from that. However, his arguments engendered exchange of jokes by treasury and opposition benches on the issue.
MQM's legislator expressed apprehension that the meat of donkeys might have been sold at restaurants and cooked at homes while people were unaware of it. Sindh Senior Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Nisar Khuhro acknowledged that the discovery of around 5000 hides is a real matter of concern. However, he made it clear that the government has already made its policy.