Fisherman Izhaq Abbas was sweating profusely under the sweltering October sun as he returned empty-handed to the beach in Karachi, Pakistan’s port city on the Arabian Sea coast.
The 41-year-old catches fish using traditional methods and a non-motorized raft, locally called a Taapa, made of package cushioning and maneuvered with a 15-foot bamboo pole.
A fourth-generation fisherman, Abbas says the sea has been behaving strangely lately, and a good catch is rare even during the height of the fishing season, at the end of the monsoon
“We used to fill our boats, but fishing is no more a gainful occupation. Every year, the catch is decreasing in our area around 10 kilometers from the coast,” the maximum sailing range for their small boats.
“The water temperature and weather are changing, but what can we do?” the father of six said. Abbas’ plight represents the ordeal faced by the fishing community in Karachi, Pakistan’s largest metropolis and home to more than 20 million people.
Many fishermen like Abbas live in Somar Goth, a dusty and smelly fishing village near the city. Abbas lives with his seven-member family in a small room in a cramped compound, also home to his three brothers and their families.
Every time he ventures out to sea, he looks to make a decent income, but his hopes are almost always dashed. Despite fishing for many years, he hasn’t managed to own a boat, which costs at least 800,000 rupees (US$2,877).
Usually, he fishes from dawn to noon and sells his catch for 150-500 rupees, depending on the species. “I can barely feed my family with the meager earnings,” he said. Abbas’ plight is compounded by the agony of his eight-year-old son, Ahmad, who has been paralyzed from waist down from birth.