Karachi: National Institute of Maritime Affairs (NIMA) Karachi organized a webinar on the topic of “Cultured Marine Products and their Impact on the Livelihood of Coastal Communities” to identity and explore the potential of fisheries and aquaculture industry for Pakistan’s economy and to draw attention on the various issues and challenges in the growth of this sector.
Prof. Dr Dost Muhammad Baloch, Vice-Chancellor, Lasbela University of Agriculture, Water, and Marine Sciences (LUAWMS), UTHAL Balochistan graced the occasion as the Chief Guest, whereas, eminent International and national speakers gave an insight on various aspects of mariculture. Vice Admiral (Retd) Abdul Aleem HI (M), Director General NIMA welcomed all the worthy speakers and participants in the webinar and highlighted the importance of Mari and aquaculture for the environment and its impact on the socio-economic development of coastal communities. Commodore (Retd) Ali Abbas SI (M) set the stage by highlighting the significance of the topic and the prominence of marine aquaculture and its prospects for Pakistan.
While speaking with the audience Mr. Eddy K.C Wong shared his intellectual insights for developing the capacity of fishermen and farmers to meet the national needs and regional production standards.
Mr Faisal Iftikhar highlighted the hurdles faced by business community in the field of aquaculture for production and export of aqua and Mari cultured products. Dr Yasmeen Zamir gave an overview of the promotion and production of marine organisms and the related opportunities and challenges present in Pakistan.
At the end of the webinar, the Chief Guest Prof. Dr Dost Muhammad Baloch applauded the efforts put in by NIMA for bringing together professionals and multiple marine stakeholders to talk about the much-neglected sector of the maritime economy, identifying its impact on the marine environment and its prospects for Pakistan.
He also hoped that NIMA will keep on playing its due role in advocating for the blue economy and its associated aspects, particularly in the context of the development of coastal communities. A large number of attendees from academia, marine experts, university students, government departments, and think tanks participated in the webinar.