Fisheries

The Department of Fisheries is an attached department of Forestry, Wildlife & Fisheries Department established in 1912. Presently, it is headed by Director General Fisheries who is assisted by four Directors in the disciplines of:

1. Extension
2. Hatcheries Management
3. Research & Training
4. Aquaculture

The department is responsible for conservation, management and development of aquatic resources in public and private sectors to meet the quality protein requirements of the masses.

 

Functions:
Major functions of the department are as under:

• Conservation
  • Check on fishing without licence.
  • Restriction on catching undersized fish.
  • Protection of fish against use of explosives/ poisons.
  • Restriction on mesh size of nets.
  • Reservation of fish breeding grounds.
  • Observance of annual close season.
  • Protection of fish against release of industrial effluents and solvents.
• Management
  • Lease of fishing rights of public waters
  • Stock replenishment of public waters.
  • Promotion of sport fishing.
  • Issuance of licences to fishermen and anglers.
• Development
  • Collection of statistical data for future planning.
  • Development of fisheries resources in natural and man made reservoirs/ ponds.
  • Improvement of aquaculture systems.
  • Establishment of fish hatcheries and seed nursing farms.
• Extension
  • Free technical service on site selection farm designing and fish culture activities.
  • Preparation of feasibility reports.
  • Fish seed supply on Government prescribed rates.
  • Free fish farm visits
  • Analysis of pond, soils and water samples.
  • Training in fish culture techniques for the fish farmers.
  • Provision of bulldozers on agriculture rates through Agricultural Engineering Department.

Fisheries Installations

• Central Fish Seed Hatchery, Manawan, Lahore
• Fish Seed Hatchery Chhenawan, District Gujranwala
• Fish Seed Hatchery, Rawalpindi, Near Rawal Dam
• Fish Seed Hatchery, Satiana Road, Faisalabad
• Fish Seed Hatchery Mianchannu, District Khanewal
• Fish Seed Hatchery Bahawalpur
• Fish Seed Hatchery, Rahim Yar Khan
• Mahseer Fish Seed Hatchery, Garyala, District Attock
• Fish Seed Nursing Farm, Farooqabad, District Sheikhupura
• Fish Seed Nursing Farm, Toba Tek Singh
• Fish Seed Nursing Farm, Shahpur, District Sargodha
• Fish Seed Nursing Farm, Fateh Jang, District Attock
• Fish Seed Nursing Farm, Kotli Arian, District Sialkot
• Fish Seed Nursing Farm, Muzaffargarh
• Fish Seed Nursing Farm, Hasilpur, District Bahawalpur
• Fish Seed Nursing Farm, Pirowal, District Khanewal

Note: The department is governed by the Punjab Fisheries Ordinance, 1961 available in the Punjab Law Portal.

Special Initiatives
The department of fisheries is actively playing its role for the biological control of mosquito causing dengue fever through stocking of open water bodies with selected fish species consuming the larvae of mosquito causing dengue. During the year 2011-12, the department conducted:

• Monitoring of 1827 water bodies
• Stocking of 541 water bodies with 5,26,700 fish seed
• 130 lectures delivered in schools/madrissas
• Launching of daily mass awareness campaign
• Distribution of printed matter
• Advertisement in print media

The efforts on the same strategy are also in operation till now.