KARACHI: A female turtle lumbers across the beach in Pakistan's bustling port city of Karachi late at night, looking for a place to lay her eggs.
Waiting for her, staff from Sindh Wildlife watch quietly as the green turtle buries a hundred or more eggs in the sand before heading back out into the Arabian Sea.
Because of COVID-19 and movement restrictions, beaches around the world have more sparsely inhabited by humans since last year. Sea turtles have taken the opportunity to return to their birthplaces in large numbers, reclaiming the now less-polluted, serene beaches to lay their eggs during the main September-November breeding season.
Green turtles seen on Karachi beaches jumped to 15,000 last year from 8,000-8,500 in 2019, Sindh Wildlife says. Lockdowns ended by the start of this year's season, but conservation experts still expect a large number of the endangered animals to visit.
Among the largest sea turtles and the only herbivores, adult green turtles can weigh more than 90 kg (200 pounds).
They nest in more than 80 countries and live in tropical and subtropical coastal areas of more than 140. Conservation group Sea Turtle Conservancy says there are 85,000 to 90,000 nesting females worldwide.
The weather in Karachi can be conducive to egg-laying as late as January, and wildlife officials will keep up their vigil until then.
"The turtles have still had an ample egg-laying opportunity during this period. In this season, too, we have had a large number of turtles coming here. The result is that within a period of three months, we have nested around 6,000 eggs so far," said Ashfaq Ali Memon, who is in charge of Sindh Wildlife's Marine Turtle Unit.
As soon as the mother turtle leaves, staff hurry to dig out the eggs and move them to a three-foot (1-metre) deep pit in a hatchery until the babies hatch, 40-45 days later. The hatchlings are taken to the beach immediately and released into the sea.
The Sindh turtle unit has released 860,000 turtle babies into the Arabian Sea since being set up in 1970. Memon said 900 have been released so far this season.
Conservationists say that in the past, sea turtle populations were threatened by demand for their fat, meat and eggs, but in recent years loss of habitat due to pollution and land reclamation have also taken their toll.
Pakistani wildlife team cradles green turtles babies from beach to sea
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Pakistani wildlife team cradles green turtles babies from beach to sea
- Because of COVID-19 restrictions, beaches around the world have more sparsely inhabited by humans since last year
- Sea turtles have taken the opportunity to return to their birthplaces in large numbers, reclaiming the now less-polluted, serene beaches
Arabian Sea fishing surges as Karachi cold snap lifts seafood demand, prices
- Winter fishing pushes boats deeper into the Arabian Sea as larger species dominate catches
- Seafood exports rise 22 percent as Pakistan taps seasonal demand to boost foreign earnings
KARACHI: As winter temperatures dip unusually low in Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi this month, demand for seafood has surged sharply, driving up prices across markets and restaurants and sending fishermen deeper into the Arabian Sea in search of prized seasonal catches.
Karachi, typically known for its mild winters, has recorded temperatures as low as 8.1 degrees Celsius in recent days, spurring heavy footfall at the city’s famed Keamari Seafood Street, where diners crowd open-air eateries for barbecued fish, fries and spicy karahi dishes.
Industry stakeholders say the colder weather has triggered a seasonal spike in seafood consumption, with demand rising by as much as 90 percent, particularly for larger winter species that are also sought by export markets.
Out at sea, fishermen also say winter brings a distinct change in both catch and income.
“The launches chase big fish that include ribbonfish, king mackerel, pomfret and mostly ribbonfish in this season,” said a 70-year-old fisherman at Ibrahim Hyderi harbor who only gave his first name, Adam.
“Summer brings species like prawns and kiddy shrimp to waters off Karachi and Gwadar coasts.”
“In winter, the demand for squid as well as other big fish remains very high. They sell well and fetch good rates for us,” added Adam, whose family has been fishing since 1970 and operates six launches.
He is among more than 100,000 registered fishermen affiliated with Pakistan’s Fishermen’s Cooperative Society (FCS), many of whom brave foggy winter seas to supply both domestic markets and export processors.
EXPORT AND PRICE HIKES
Pakistan’s marine fisheries sector contributes roughly one percent of GDP and earned $253.2 million in exports during July–December FY26, a 22 percent increase from a year earlier, according to the ministry of maritime affairs.
The export growth comes as Pakistan, grappling with external financing pressures, seeks to boost foreign exchange earnings.
“This season our seafood exports have crossed $250 million, and will hit the $600 million target for this year,” said Irfan Ahmed, in-charge at Ibrahim Hyderi harbor for the FCS.
Pakistan exports frozen fish, sardines, king mackerel, squid, ribbonfish, pomfret, flatfish species, shrimps, prawns, cuttlefish, fish meal and crabs, with China, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Thailand, Malaysia, Japan, the European Union, Vietnam, Kuwait and the United States among its major buyers.
“The demand for seafood shoots up [in winters] and therefore we at Fishermen’s Cooperative Society’s fisheries department facilitate the launches at our harbor to go and fish as much as possible,” Ahmed said.
At retail markets, the seasonal rush has translated into steep price increases.
“In this winter season, our demand has increased about 90 percent,” said Azam Khan, a fish retailer at Keamari Seafood Street.
The surge has pushed prices sharply higher, he said.
Seabream now sells for Rs1,200 ($4.30) per kilogram, up from Rs700 ($2.50) in summer.
King mackerel has risen 50 percent to Rs1,650 ($5.90) from Rs1,100 ($3.90).
White pomfret has doubled to Rs3,000 ($10.70) from Rs1,500 ($5.40), while red snapper has climbed 120 percent to Rs2,200 ($7.90) from Rs1,000 ($3.60).
“Normally, the price of Red Snapper is Rs1,000–900 per kilogram ($3.2). Right now, the price of Red Snapper has doubled,” Khan said.
“Everything has gone pricier,” he added, referring to Pakistan’s broader inflationary pressures.
RESTAURANTS PACKED
Despite rising prices, seafood restaurants report booming business, especially on cold weekend nights.
“In winter, people come with their families, and they only think about eating seafood like red snapper, seabream, javelin grunter, black pomfret, white pomfret and white barracuda fish,” said Muhammad Rashid, owner of Rashid Seafood, one of Pakistan’s largest seafood restaurant chains.
Rashid said his sales this season have risen by around 80 percent.
“Earlier at Keamari food street, people only had two fish to eat: tigertooth croaker and bartail flathead,” he said.
“Now, we provide the people all types of fish that exist in the sea.”
Asked about winter favorites, Rashid said:
“People like barbequed fish and prawn karahi the most. In barbequed fish, people like red snapper and black pomfret.”
Pakistan’s main seafood season runs from November through February, and traders say demand typically eases as temperatures rise and Ramadan approaches.
“The season is about to end. Ramadan is about to begin,” Rashid said. “I would like to add one more dish. It is called Tandoori Fish.”
