Marine Spatial Planning: Pakistan Needs Better Management of Its Marine Economy

KARACHI: Marine Spatial Planning is becoming increasingly important as Pakistan expands its fisheries sector and wider maritime economy, with seafood exports reaching a record $568 million in FY2025–26.

The export figure includes $105.09 million from frozen fish, $103.71 million from squid and cuttlefish, $83.12 million from fishmeal and $62.14 million from shrimp.

At the same time, the Prime Minister’s Maritime Task Force has completed 85 of 99 maritime reforms. The reforms include a five-year fisheries development plan, while work continues on ports, shipping and other maritime infrastructure.

Pakistan now faces a broader challenge: managing multiple activities that depend on the same marine space.

Managing Competing Marine Activities

Fishing grounds, aquaculture facilities, shipping routes, ports, conservation zones and coastal infrastructure can overlap.

This creates particular challenges for the fisheries sector. Productive fishing grounds may also contain important nursery and spawning habitats or areas that coastal communities rely on for their livelihoods.

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Therefore, Pakistan needs to consider these activities together rather than making separate decisions for each sector.

Building a Marine Data Network

Pakistan has already begun developing important tools that could support this approach.

On August 2, 2026, the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency signed an agreement to install Vessel Monitoring Systems (VMS) on Pakistani fishing vessels.

Earlier, the Economic Coordination Committee approved a Rs600 million technical supplementary grant for VMS installation across the country’s fishing fleet.

In January 2026, the Ministry of Maritime Affairs also explored satellite-based monitoring with SUPARCO for port expansion and broader maritime management.

These systems can provide much more value when Pakistan connects them through a single marine information framework.

VMS data, satellite imagery, hydrographic surveys, fisheries statistics, geographic information systems and habitat data can collectively support Marine Spatial Planning (MSP).

Pakistan’s National Hydrographic Office states that the country has more than 1,001 kilometres of coastline and approximately 290,000 square kilometres of maritime zones. It also identifies Marine Spatial Planning and Marine Spatial Data Infrastructure as important applications of marine geospatial information.

Balochistan Offers a Practical Example

Balochistan illustrates why integrated planning matters.

In March 2026, the provincial government directed authorities to revive and operationalise Pasni Fish Harbour to strengthen fisheries and the wider marine economy.

However, such infrastructure should not operate as an isolated development project. Authorities should assess the surrounding fishing grounds, marine habitats, navigation routes and potential aquaculture sites at the same time.

This approach can help Pakistan identify appropriate areas for fishing, aquaculture, shipping, conservation and coastal infrastructure before competing activities create conflicts.

From Fisheries Policy to Marine Planning

Pakistan does not simply need another fisheries policy. It needs a National Marine Spatial Planning framework that brings different maritime activities into a coordinated system.

Such a framework would not aim to restrict maritime development. Instead, it would help authorities determine where different activities can operate most effectively while protecting important ecosystems and supporting coastal communities.

Pakistan is already collecting more marine data and investing heavily in its maritime economy. The next step is to connect that information and use it to guide decisions about how the country uses its marine space.

For a fisheries sector generating more than half a billion dollars in annual exports, Marine Spatial Planning is no longer only an environmental concern. It has become an important economic and development priority.

About the Author: Dr. Nazia Sher is a Research Associate at NIMA, Bahria University, working on fisheries, marine affairs and the Blue Economy.