KARACHI  -   Paki­stan National Hydrographic Of­fice in coordination with the Institute of Maritime Affairs (NIMA) and WWF-Pakistan distributed an indigenously de­veloped fishing map to local fishermen in Karachi during a ceremony held at the Joint Mar­itime Information Coordination Centre (JMICC) here on Tues­day. The maps are specifically designed to identify ghost nets to support the safe conduct of fishing activities by local fish­ermen and the preservation of fish in our seas. A ghost net is a fishing net that has been lost or abandoned in the ocean and can pose a significant threat to marine life and vessels of fish­ermen, a Pakistan Navy news release said. The indigenously developed fishing map can eas­ily be viewed on open-source Android and IOS-based navi­gation applications. Copies of the fishing map and mobile ap­plication along with its easi­ly understandable installation procedure have been made available to the local fishermen community through JMICC free of charge. This initiative is part of the Office of Hydrographer of Pakistan and the Pakistan Na­vy’s ongoing efforts to support Pakistan’s fishing communi­ty and the preservation of Paki­stan’s marine environment. The fishing map includes vital infor­mation such as the precise po­sitions of ghost nets and unsafe fishing areas. This will assist fishermen in making safe ma­neuvers at sea. The provision of crucial information about the lo­cation of ghost nets will enable fishermen to avoid areas unsuit­able for fishing activity and re­duce the risk of breakdowns of boats at sea.