Publications

Nadeem, A; Rana, AD; Batool, SA; ul-Haq, Z; Azhar, A; Ishfaq, UBE; Hameed, A (2025). Satellite based assessment of potential fishing zones (PFZs) within the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of Pakistan. CONTINENTAL SHELF RESEARCH, 286, 105410.

Abstract
Pakistan's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) is blessed with a broad spectrum of marine life. Identification of such potential fishing zones (PFZs) can be highly profitable for sustainable fisheries by complementing to their catch and efficiency. Advancements in satellite remote sensing have made their way into marine environmental monitoring and assessment by providing reliable data about oceanographic parameters. The objective of this study is to identify PFZs using three of the crucial marine parameters, including Sea Surface Temperature (SST), Chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) and Particulate Organic Carbon (POC) concentrations. EEZ of Pakistan has been subjected with Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite images for a temporal window, consisting of January to December 2022. The outcomes of the study reveal that during January, February and March, the PFZs within EEZ of Pakistan is found filled with categories good and premium fishing zones, while a sharp decline is observed till the month of August due to the southwestern monsoon. In the later part of the year, PFZs starts to stretch its boundaries along the coastal area, which gradually expands in the whole EEZ with the succeeding months of the year. These results are further validated with the help of fishing activity data from Global Fishing Watch (GFW) and is also supported with meteorological data over EEZ. The study provides a costeffective method using satellite remote sensing to identify PFZs; however, highlighting the importance of catch data accuracy for validation of PFZs distributions.

DOI:
10.1016/j.csr.2025.105410

ISSN:
1873-6955