300 croakers worth millions of rupees are caught by fishermen

Casting their net off their boat as usual at Keti Bandar, Hanif Katiyar and his crew were ecstatic to pull in at least 300 croaker fish.

The Ibrahim Haydari Coastal Media Center’s spokesman, Kamal Shah, claims that fisherman have captured over 300 unique types of croaker fish from the open sea close to Keti Bandar, a little port in the Thatta area. Croaker fish is supposed to cost millions of rupees, according to Shah. Because they are prized fish, fisherman keep the sale and catch of their catch a secret to avoid being stolen.

Kamal Shah claims that the fat and air bladder found in croaker fish bellies are used to make surgical thread. The meat of croaker fish is sold for Rs 1,000 per kilogram, but there is a strong market for its fat and air bladder.

Croaker fish are members of the croaker species, according to Muhammad Moazzam Khan, Technical Adviser for WWF Pakistan. In Sindhi, it’s called Suwa, and in Balochi, Kar. The air bladder (pota) inside of it is the reason it costs so much.

According to Moazzam Khan, air bladders are very important in Chinese cooking. An air bladder is also seen as a sign of greatness in China. The Chinese retain this dry air bladder in their houses, just as people often keep money in their homes. Nevertheless, the rumors that Croaker fish air bladder is utilized to make the surgical thread used in operations are untrue. He explained, “It’s dried swim bladder is used as speculative investment because it’s sold at $20,000 to $80,000 per kilogram.” When the market crashed in 2015, several Chinese investors took their own lives.

According to Khan, fish populations in Pakistani seas have dropped by 95%.

“It’s a migratory fish that can be found in groups near the coast,” he added, noting that the species, while it was still easier to find, had altered the course of many Pakistani fishermen’s lives.