KARACHI: Experts at a workshop on Wednesday called for measures to tackle the issue of illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU), which they described as a major threat to marine resources and the ecosystem.

The two-day workshop titled `Improving transparency and traceability in tuna fisheries in North Indian Ocean` was organised by the World Wide Fund for Nature-Pakistan (WWF-P) under the Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction project being supported by multiple organisations.

The participants in the workshop included experts from four countries from the Northern Indian Ocean.

Presenting some data, director general of marine fisheries department Mohammad Wasim said that presently 19,148 fishing boats were operating in Pakistani waters and the annual fish production was 588,581 tonnes.

`The main IUU fishing problem exists on the eastern border caused by the Indian nshing boats and every year about 100 of theirboatsare apprehended by the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency,` he said.