Falling off seafood export this fiscal year has brought the exporters to a financial crunch for a want of globally appealing fisheries on the local market after the Balochistan government placed a 12-nautical mile restriction on hunt by the Sindh’s trawlers in its waters. The 60 percent of catch, which the world markets demand for has reduced, comes from Balochistan. The fishing restrictions are now threatening the livelihood of about 1.5 million people associated to the business and billions of rupees investment of the fisheries sector, says a letter by Pakistan Fisheries Exporters Association (Pakfea), Chairman Syed Akhlaq Hussain Abidi to Federal Commerce Advisor, Abdul Razzaq Dawood. The letter showed worries on the scaling down seafood export this fiscal year from a want of required catch that also brought the operations of fisheries processing factories to mere up 15 percent capacity. It said that the country lost about 13 percent of seafood export in Oct 2018 and 25 percent in Nov 2018 from the low landing of catch due to the 12-nautical mile restrictions, a copy of the letter was provided to Business Recorder said on Friday. “The fact of the case is that our catch consists of 80 percent of raw material caught by trawlers and 60 percent is caught from Balochistan waters and by restricting it we are losing our major raw material and thus losing exports,” the Pakfea letter highlighted the issue to the ministry, saying that the factories resultantly from the restrictions are facing economic problems. It is feared that the continuing low capacity operations may force the owners to layoff workers from their factories in coming months if the crisis persists. “Our factories are working now at 10-15 percent capacity with expenses standing thus forcing an economic problem in coming days,” it showed the exporters concerns, saying that the dwindling operations are feared to impose a lay-off of workers. The Pakfea Chairman through the letter made a request to the federal commerce advisor to help suspend the maritime restrictions on hunt of Sindh’s fishermen immediately. It said that the federal commerce ministry should help Balochistan government understand the problem emerged from its maritime restrictions. “We, therefore request you to take up the matter with both the government officials from federal and Balochistan to immediately suspend their actions and call a meeting of all stakeholders to understand the problem and find a solution to salvage the livelihood of 1.5 million citizens and billions of rupees investment now going to liquidation,” the letter urged, saying that “kindly consider this as an SOS call and act urgently.” The country’s seafood export sector earned $451 million to the national exchequer last fiscal year, which also grew the exporters’ expectations to take the sector to $550 million level during the current fiscal year but the federal deep sea fishing policy broke the smooth tempo in Oct 2018. The letter said that the arrest of local fishermen trawling in Balochistan waters by Maritime Security Agency is the key reason behind falling seafood export. “Dozens of other boats were warned by MSA to return to Sindh waters and not to fish in Balochistan as by amendment in Balochistan Fisheries Ordinance 1971 of Provincial Government the limit of restriction to catch shrimps by trawling was increased to 12 nautical miles,” according to the letter.