Golden Trout Fish introduced in Swat Valley| Mahboob Ali Yousafzai

Описание: #trout #troutfish #mahboobaliyousafzai
“The fear of my impending financial losses is hanging over me like a sword,” said Ameenullah. Ameenullah, who owns a trout farm in Swat in northern Pakistan, said he is losing sleep worrying that his entire stock of fish will soon go to waste.

Ameenullah’s farm in the scenic valley of Swat in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has 15,000 kilogrammes of trout. Ordinarily, this quantity of fish would sell for about PKR 15 million (USD 90,000). However, the sector, which relies heavily on demand from tourism, is suffering from restrictions imposed in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

On March 24, the Pakistani government announced a country-wide lockdown, banning travel for tourism in an attempt to contain the spread of Covid-19.

“My fish are still lying in ponds because of zero market demand due to closure of hotels and restaurants,” Ameenullah told The Third Pole. As well as losing their source of income, the owners of fish farms are having to spend more money feeding mature fish.

Ameenullah estimated that his additional monthly costs come to PKR 750,000 (USD 4,450) from feeding the fish and paying for five labourers and a watchman. He added that his lack of income means he has not been able to pay for a recent delivery of feed.

Back in April, Ameenullah said, the fish were fully grown and ready to be sold. The farms run their businesses so that trout are available between April and August – at the height of the tourist season.

Tourism vital to region
The tourism ministry of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa estimates that around two million people visited the northern province’s mountainous districts in 2019. Swat alone, which is in the division of Malakand in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, attracted about one million tourists.

See: Opinion – Pakistan needs to urgently tackle its tourism pollution problem

In the adjacent region of Gilgit-Baltistan, the tourism department reported that about 1.72 million people visited in 2017.

There are around 180 trout fish farms in Gilgit-Baltistan and 200 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Swat accounts for more than 150 of these.