Mud crabbers in pinch as processing units shut on verbal orders

HYDERABAD: Hundreds of small-scale marine fishermen, involved in live mud crab catch along Sindh coastline, suddenly lost their livelihood, as traders refused to buy the exportable product, The News has learnt.

According to protesting fishermen, around 10 days ago local traders refused to buy crabs at jetties in Thatta, Sujawal, Badin, and Karachi’s coastal villages after the office of Director General (DG) Marine Fisheries Department (MDF), Karachi Fisheries Harbour, allegedly gave them (traders) a verbal deadline to shift their warehouses from villages to the industrial zone (Karachi harbour), shutting down the local business activities.

Community activists said crab catch was a lucrative business, which employed a large number of workers but it required passion and efforts.

On normal days each worker may catch five-ten live mud crabs and earn Rs1500-2000 daily. Quite a few days ago, the price of male crab was Rs300-350 each, while females were being sold at Rs200-250/crab, depending on its health and weight.

“During the winter season, crabs go deep in the mud, thus workers hardly catch two-three a day and their rates go up to Rs2000-2500 each,” they said.

Muhammad Shah, a leading trader and a warehouse owner, where live crabs are washed and packed for export in the coastal village Ali Muhammad Brohi, Bin Qasim town, said, “We have received verbal directions to shut this business instantly and shift the same to the industrial zone (harbour)”.

There are around 20-22 warehouses, which deal with the live mud crabs’ trade for export in the locality. They employ a large number of workers at the warehouses for different tasks like washing, packing, and loading.

“Our elders started crab business in this village around 25 years ago. We used to receive 30,000-40,000 kg crabs daily depending on the season and weather ups and downs,” Shah said.

Ali Brohi village, situated between Ibrahim Hydri and Rehri mayan localities, is said to be the only live crabs business market, where local traders from across the coastal jetties traded their products.

Some traders have rented warehouses in the locality.

After the verbal warning to shut down these businesses, hundreds of workers are facing an uncertain situation in one of the largest villages of the coastal Sindh.

According to community activists involved in this specific business, this move came like a bolt from the blue. The crab-catchers were shocked when buyers suddenly refused to deal with them, they said adding, the fishermen were forced to throw the crabs back in the sea so at least they live to be caught another day.

Some activists said the authorities (DG Marine) wanted fishermen to refrain from catching female crabs on the pretext of saving the precious species.

“It is a natural phenomenon that the female mud crabs population is around 80 percent compared to male crabs which are hardly less than 20 percent,” Shah said.

Fishermen justified the provincial government had imposed a two month ban on shrimp catch in June and July, the breeding season of shrimps and crabs. During this period fishermen were rendered jobless without any compensation. They said community people were already experiencing hardships due to natural phenomenon since the start of news season August 1, 2021. They resumed the new season after 20 days because of rough weather and Covid vaccination issue for the boat crews.

Majeed Motani said this action proved a big dent to the lives and livelihoods of the fishermen, who switched to catching crabs catch because of overall decline in the fish population 30 years back.

“Since then a number of fishermen have joined the crab catching activities. It is a huge business where larger, poor workers take small boats to the creeks and mangroves forests to catch crabs.”

Motani said Cyclone Gulab had also confined a large workforce to their homes without work for several days.

“And this new move may further add to unemployment among the poor fishermen community that always pay a huge cost for the negligence on the part of the government,” he said.

Saeed Baloch, representing the fishermen community, said they went to see DG MFD on Thursday at his office to resolve the issue and remove uncertainty among the workers, but he was not available to talk.

Muhammad Ahmed, Personal Assistant DG MDF, denied issuing any notification or imposing ban on trade, saying, “The business of crabs is going on as normal. We are sending shipments daily that show the traders have access to purchase the product to fulfill the need of cargo”.

But, Ahmed said, some people were motivating poor workers to create uncertainty among the community people.

About the shutting down of business and shifting of warehouses to the harbor, he said “Since DG is in Islamabad for a meeting he (DG) may know about any decision”.

The uncertainty is looming over. Hundreds of workers have lost their source of livelihood as a result of traders’ refusal to buy their catch. There are reports fishermen were staging protest demonstrations at the jetties in coastal areas against this move.

They are demand restoration of their livelihood, which is their only source of income in these difficult time.