Assignment

On

Fisheries Resources in Bangladesh and Export Performance

Course Title: Bangladesh Economy

Course Code: B-3702

Submitted to:

Md. Zahidul Islam

Asst. Professor

Department of Economics

Asian University of Bangladesh

Submitted by:

Name:Roksana Fardous Afrin

ID:201310204

Batch:47th

Section: A

Program: BBA

Semester:Fall-2014

Email: [email protected]

Date of Submission: 15 December, 2014

1
Assignment

On

Fisheries Resources in Bangladesh and Export Performance

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to express our deep and sincere gratitude to Md. Zahidul Islam, Asst. Professor, Dept. of
Economics, Asian University of Bangladesh. His wide knowledge and his logical way of thinking have
been of great value for us. His understanding, encouraging and personal guidance have provided a
good basis for the present assignment.

During this work I have collaborated with many fellow mates for whom we have great regard, and I
wish to extend our warmest thanks to all those who have helped us with our work.

2
DEDICATION

I want to dedicate this assignment to my honorable teacher. Md. Zahidul Islam, Asst. Professor,
Dept. of Economics, Asian University of Bangladesh who encourage and help me utmost to complete
such a typical assignment.

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Table of Content

Sl. No Name Page No

1 Cover Page 1
2 Acknowledgement 2
3 Dedication 3
4 Table of Content 4
5 Introduction 5-6
6 Fisheries resource 6-7
7 Inland Open Water 8-13
8 Inland Closed Waters 13-14
9 Brackish-water fisheries 14-15
10 Marine fisheries 16-17
11 Fish biodiversity 18-19
12 Beel fishery 19-20
13 Baor fishery 21-22
14 Haor fishery 23
15 Kaptai Lake fishery 23-25
16 Export Performance 25-26
17 Oyster fishery 26-27
18 Problems 27

19 Conclusions 28
20 References 29

Introduction: Fisheries the occupation or industry of catching fish or tapping other marine or
freshwater resources. One of the major sectors of Bangladesh agriculture is represented by the
fisheries sector. Being a deltaic land with numerous rivers and inland haors and beels (lakes and
lowland areas of considerable size), and also ponds that are dug in populated areas for the purpose
of bathing, washing and often as a source of drinking water, fish became an integral part of the food
culture. In the past hardly any need was felt for fisheries education and research, because
population was low and fish in plenty.

Fisheries now play a major role in nutrition, employment and foreign exchange earning. Fish alone
supply about 60% of animal protein and about 1.4 million people are directly employed by the
fisheries sector. About another 11 million people indirectly earn their livelihood out of activities
related to fisheries. The production of fish was estimated to be about 13,73,000 m tons during 1996-
97, of which inland fisheries contributed about 10,79,000 m tons and marine fisheries about
2,94,000 m tons. The growth rate of fish production during the last seven years averaged at 6.5%
which fell short of increased demand; however, the present rate of fish production has increased to
about 8 percent. A few articles related to fisheries have been presented below:

Fisheries resource
Fish biodiversity
Fish cooperatives
Fish farm management
Fish marketing

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 Export Performance
Fisheries education and research
Fish culture
Beel, Baor and Haor fishery
Kaptai Lake fishery
Marine fishery

Fisheries resource

There are four of Fisheries Resources are :

1.Inland Open Water

2.Inland Closed Waters

3.Brackish-water fisheries

4. Marine fisheries

Bangladesh possesses a wide range of fishes, prawns, lobsters and other crustaceans, mollusks,
turtles and other fishery resources inhabiting its extensive marine and inland open waters. The total
fish production of Bangladesh was estimated at 11,72,800 m tons (DOF 1995) in 1995. Inland open
water fisheries contributed 73 percent of the total fish production. In 1987, Bangladesh became
third in world inland fish and shrimp production after China and India and produced 5,81,827 m tons
of fish and shrimp (FAO 1987). Fisheries play an important role in the national economy and account
for 4.7 percent of GDP, 9.1 percent of the export earnings (1995-96), 6 percent of the supply of
protein and about 80 percent of the animal protein intake of its population. But the human
population growth has resulted in a decline in per capita fish consumption from 36g per day in 1965-
66 to the level of 20.5g per day in 1996 in place of the required 38g per capita consumption per day.

An expanded and more effective valuation of fisheries and aquatic ecosystem services including an
expansion of wetland resource assessment models produced on a project basis (USAID MARCH,
Danita GNAEP, DFID CBFM2) with the objective of creating a National Wetland Resource Assessment
Database and to promote a wider awareness of this within national policy and development
planning.

The fisheries sector provides full-time employment for about 2 million people, equivalent to 7
percent of total employment, of whom about 1.4 million people are engaged in fishing and fish
farming while the rest work in fish transportation, packing and processing. Another 11 million people
are involved in seasonal or part-time fishing or other ancillary activities.

Freshwater resource In Bangladesh freshwater fish is preferred over marine species. The fish catch
from the inland open water capture fishery is decreasing while the demand for fish is increasing. The
fish yield from the rivers and estuaries except the sundarbans area has decreased from 207,766 m
tons in 1983-84 to 173,410 m tons in 1989-90 and 138,746 m tons in 1992-93 (BFRSS, DOF). The

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Brahmaputra stock, Padma stock and upper Meghna stock of major carps (Rui, Catla and Mrigal)
have apparently declined. At the same time, closed water culture-based fish and shrimp/prawn
production has registered an increase from 117,025 m tons in 1983-84 to 192,592 m tons in 1989-90
and 237,743 m tons in 1992-93.

Inland Open Water

Open water fisheries are major aquatic common property resources in Bangladesh. Fish, Water and
People are three of the most important ingredients in the life of Bangladesh. Dr. M. Youssouf Ali is a
leading fisheries biologist with over five decades of experience as a spokesman for fisheries
development in Bangladesh. He critically analyses the trends in the development of agriculture,
infrastructure and fisheries. It is a reflection on past experiences, present practices and future trends
and threats to the valuable open water ecosystem and its resources. The book addresses the issues
of the aquatic ecosysteids of one of world's largest floodplains, their living resources and habitat. It
analyses the water resources projects, water pollution, status and methodologies of catch
assessment and looks at the management issues of open water capture fisheries. This book presents
a picture of the conflicts between the retention of fish habitats and need for croplands and also the
need for the protection of biodiversity. The book should stimulate the interests of policy makers and
scientists interested in ensuring the balanced sustenance of all natural resources of the country. This
is a companion volume to Open water Fisheries of Bangladesh edited by Chu-fa Tsai and M. Youssouf
Ali (UPL, 1996).

Table 2 Production (m tons) of different species of fish, shrimp and prawn in various types of inland
waters, 1987-88

Types of inland fisheries

Fish types Rivers Sundar- Beel Flood- Boars Ponds Kaptai Shrimp
bans plains Lake farms

Major carps 1,187 1,355 7,664 475 77,461 231 --

Exotic carps -- -- -- -- 429 7,815 -- --

Other carps 1,024 -- 15,87 -- 1 2,047 288 --

Catfish 3,352 -- 4,397 2,947 1 3,078 415 --

Snakehead -- -- 433 16,511 54 9,698 35 --

Live fish 38 -- 346 16,092 16 6,665 -- --

(=Jeole fishes)

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Miscellaneous 81,836 6,297 35,116 125,096 263 41,987 3,117 7,359
inland fish

Hilsa 77,577 974 -- -- -- -- -- --

Shrimp and 1,141 540 -- -- -- -- -- 12,400

Prawn (large)

Shrimp and 17,662 255 2,376 13,725 15 672 -- 5,489

Prawn (small)

Total production 183,817 8,066 45,610 182,037 1,254 149,423 4,068 25,248

(% share) (30.66) (1.35) (7.61) (30.36) (0.21) (24.92) (0.68) (4.21)

hilsa is the largest single species fishery. The production of fish in ponds was 24.9% of the total catch
in 1987-88. Indian and Chinese carps are the major fishes in pond culture. The fish productions from
the beels and Kaptai Lake occupy 7.6% and 6.8% respectively. Catfishes are again the major fishes
there, followed by the major and minor carps. Shrimp farms contributed about 4.2% of the total
inland catch. Snakeheads (Taki, Shol, Gazar) and live (=jeole) fishes (Koi, Magur, Shing) are the fishes
from the floodplains, followed by the major carps and catfishes. Hilsa is primarily caught from the
rivers and estuaries, but small shrimps and prawns are caught from all types of water except Kaptai
Lake.

The production of miscellaneous inland fishes in all types of freshwaters is significant, particularly in
the floodplains, rivers and beels. Some of these fishes are Bata, Biam, Bele, Bashpata, Bacha, Bheda,
Chewa, chanda, chapila, Chela, Chiring, Chital, Gutum, Kholisa, Kaikka, mola, Phasya, Pholi, Poa,
Punti, Shilong, Tapashi, Tengra, etc. Many of these fishes are threatened.

Marine resource Of the three fishing grounds (South Patches, Middle Ground and Swatch of no
Ground) occupying about 70,000 km of the Bay of Bengal, the South Patches are known to be the
most productive. The fish stock and maximum harvestable stock in the Bay of Bengal are estimated
to be as follows:

Varieties Standing stock (m tons) Annual harvestable stock (m tons)

1979-82

a. Demersal fish 200,000-250,000 100,000-125,000

b. Pelagic fish 160,000-200,000 30,000-60,000

c. Shrimp 4,000-6,000 2,000-3,000

1996-97

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a. Demersal fish 150,000-160,000 50,000-85,000

b. Pelagic fish 90,000-120,000 not estimated

c. Shrimp 14,000 6,500-7,000

Lamboeuf (1986) estimated the biomass for the 19 major groups of marine fishes with the
percentage of abundance in each depth zone of the Bay of Bengal. According to him, the shallow
area between 10m and 20m is the most productive with 36% of the biomass and fish density of 8.1
m tons/km, followed by the 20-25m zone with 28% biomass and density of 6.5 m tons/km, 50-80m
zone with 22% biomass and density of 4.1 m tons/km and finally 80-100m zone with 22% biomass
and density of 2.9m tons/km. Thus, about 64% of the total resources are inside the 50m depth line.
Lamboeuf's overall estimate in Bangladesh EEZ deeper than 10m is about 191,000 m tons of catches.

The major groups of species are Ariidae catfish 12.7%, Sciaenidae jawfish 11.4%, Nemipteridae
threadfin bream 9.2%, Scombridae mackerel 6.2% and Mullidae goatfish 5.0%. These five groups
account for about 44.5% of the total biomass. Similar data on commercial pelagic fish species are not
available for lack of proper survey, although these are caught in large numbers.

Marine fish catches have increased from 164,882 m tons in 1983-84 to 264,650 m tons in 1994-95
and shrimp landings from 12,020 m tons in 1983-84 to 23,233 m tons in 1992-93. Fifty to 60% of the
fish catch (30-40 thousand m tons) came from shrimp trawlers in 1983-84. The trawlers numbered
41 and 12 respectively for shrimp and fish in 1996-97. There were about 14,000 non-motorized
boats and 3,347 motorized boats in 1983-84. The number of motorized boats increased to 8,000 in
1996-97. There were about 97 fish and shrimp processing plants in 1992-93. From the frozen
seafood US$ 165.34 million (94.34%) and from other fishery products US$ 9.80 million (5.66%) was
earned in 1992-93. Out of these, frozen shrimps accounted for US$ 155.48 million (90.1%) and
frozen fish US$ 9.80 million (9.8%). The export of frog legs is banned since 1992-93. Dry salted and
dehydrated fish, shark fins and fish maws are exported every year.

Estuarine resource The intricate canal system of tidal waterways in the estuaries of Bangladesh is
rich in different aquatic species and the resource is exploited by small-scale or subsistence
fishermen. The estuaries and the mangroves are the nursery grounds for the development of post-
larvae of several marine shrimps where they feed and grow to juveniles before returning to deep
waters of the sea for maturity and breeding. Macrobrachium rosenbergii, the freshwater giant
prawn, spends life in freshwater but returns to the brackish-waters of the estuaries to hatch their
eggs. So, favourable environmental conditions for brackish-water aquaculture, particularly for
shrimps/prawns, are available in Bangladesh. Post-larvae of P. monodon and M. rosenbergii, locally
known as Bagda and Golda respectively, are available almost round the year in the brackish-waters,
providing work for thousands of larva collectors. The larvae and juveniles of fin-fishes are also
available there.

At present, some 120,000 ha are under prawn/shrimp farming in Bagerhat (29%), Satkhira (19%),
Khulna (19%), Cox's Bazar and Teknaf. Usually, monoculture of P. monodon in high saline waters and
culture of M. rosenbergii in less saline waters are practiced. Mixed culture of Bagda with mullets
(Mugil corsula and M. cascasia) or other shrimps is also in vogue. Sometimes, predator fishes (Lates

8
calcarifer, Eleutheronema tetradactylus) and crabs enter the ponds freely. L. calcarifer, Mugil spp.,
Chanos chanos, etc are important fin-fish species for mariculture.

Rotation of aquaculture (shrimp, fin-fish) with agriculture (paddy) is practiced in the polders in the
brackish-water tidal area in Bagerhat, Khulna and Satkhira and in mangrove areas of Chakoria and
Teknaf. During high salinity period, marine and brachishwater shrimp and fin-fishes are cultured.
During low salinity period, cultivation of 'aman' paddy is done. The practice is known as 'bheri/gher'
culture. Some farmers even combine freshwater prawn (Golda) and other fishes (Tilapia, Carps, Thai
Punti). Shrimp culture and salt production in rotation are practised in the Chittagong region.

Eleven species of crabs, belonging to the family Portunidae, Calapidae and Ocypodidae, are found in
shallow coastal and brackish-waters. Of these, Scylla serrata is popular as human food. Fishing crabs
by baited hooks by fishermen on boats is a common sight in the Sundarbans. Most catches are
exported. In 1992-93, crabs worth US$ 3.78 million were exported.

Inland Closed Waters

Waters closed to fishing at all times include:

Lake Sorell

Curries River Reservoir, within a 400 m radius of the dam intake structure

Lake Fenton and its tributaries

Waters flowing into Great Lake,

lakes Leake, Arthurs, Kara, Rowallan (except MerseyRiver), Dee Lagoon and Lagoon of Islands, and
for a radius of 50 m below the point where that water flows into the above lakes and lagoons

Penstock Lagoon Nos 1 and 2 canals above two white posts on opposite banks of those canals

Brushy Rivulet, flowing into Brushy Lagoon, and for a radius of 50 m below where it flows into that
lagoon

Mc Partlans Canal between lakes Pedder and Gordon

Sisters Creek between a white post about 100 m below the bridge in Bird Land Nature Park and a
second post about 100 m above that bridge

All ponds, raceways and fish culture ponds maintained by or operated under the consent of the
Service (the exception being the Plenty River which is reserved for anglers with a disability)

Fishing is prohibited within 100 m of a fish trap maintained by the Service

Brackish-water fisheries

Brackish-water fisheries fish, fishing, and fish culture in the less salty areas of the sea (areas where
salinity is between freshwater and seawater). Brackish-water fisheries are also known as estuarine
fisheries. Being situated in the biggest delta of the world, the brackish-water area in Bangladesh is
one of the biggest. Brackish-water fisheries are of two types, open water and cultured. While

9
fisheries constitute a small part of the gross national product of Bangladesh, its role in national
development, however, is of considerable significance in terms of employment, foreign exchange
earnings, food supply, and socioeconomic stability in rural coastal areas. Vast portions of frozen food
exports come from the brackish-water region.

The open brackish-water fish landing in Bangladesh are generally categorized together with marine
landings. The brackish-water culture fisheries generally deal with black tiger shrimp, the main export
commodity of frozen food from Bangladesh. Though brackish-water fisheries contribute a fraction of
marine fish landing in Bangladesh, the area has importance as a breeding and nursing ground of
many marine and freshwater species. A vast number of marine species utilizes the brackish-water
region as nursing ground. The giant freshwater prawn, popularly known as Galda (Macrobrachium
rosenbergii), migrates towards brackish-water from a freshwater habitat for breeding and returns
when young individuals attain post-larval stages. Similarly many marine species spend part of their
life in a brackish-water area and juveniles travel back to the open sea.

Roughly 25,000 sq km of coastal rivers, natural depression, mangroves, etc fall into the brackish-
water category. Nearly 7,00,000 ha are at present occupied by mangroves, the rest are deliberately
converted into agricultural lands surrounded generally by dikes and embankments. The open
brackish-water areas are generally used for community fishing, but coastal brackish-water
aquaculture is privately owned. The brackish-water estuary, river mouth, canals, etc are also used
for community fishing.

It is estimated that about 29% of total fisheries production in Bangladesh comes from seawater.
Further 10-15% of total marine production is from the brackish-water region. Total production of
fisheries in Bangladesh during 1997-1998 was 1.21 million m ton. Besides, the brackish-water region
also supplies roughly 3.0-3.5 billion post-larvae of the Black Tiger Shrimp, Penaeus monodon,
annually. Bangladesh produces roughly 50,000 to 60,000 m tons of "head on" brackish-water
shrimps annually. It is estimated that 150,000 ha of coastal aquaculture produce approximately
70,000 m tons of mixed fishes, crabs, and small shrimp annually as non-target species.

Brackish-water organisms may be classified into 2 categories resident and migratory. Resident
species include mullets, thread fins, saienidaes, perches, Ribbon fish, clupeids, Catfish, Bombay Duck,
Camila, etc. Besides, many penaeid shrimps are also resident. Brackish-water aquaculture in
Bangladesh however, has not yet developed as a total system dealing with production of finfish and
shellfish for domestic consumption and for export maintaining a sound ecological balance. [Md Abul
Hossain]

Marine fisheries

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Marine fisheries collection, commercial exploitation or harvesting of fishes or other products of the
sea. World fishery is essentially marine, which occupies more than 97% of the total fisheries;
freshwater fisheries constitute only about 2.5%. However, in Bangladesh freshwater fisheries
constitute around 70% and marine fisheries including brackish-water occupy the rest. Marine fishing
industries though have undergone a period of changes in the past 40 years elsewhere but are still
predominantly traditional in Bangladesh. Here during the last 40 years traditional fishing boats got
only an engine fixed to gain more mobility. Otherwise, marine fishing essentially remains coastal
fishing in Bangladesh where a few species are targeted and which often leads to over exploitation.

Bangladesh has a territorial water of about 20 nautical km from the coast, and again the exclusive
economic zone extends about 320 nautical km from the territorial waters. Therefore, the marine
fisheries zone of Bangladesh is roughly above 200,000 km2, which is larger than the total area of the
country. Marine fisheries can be classified into 2 categories, pelagic, and demersal. Pelagic fisheries
of Bangladesh involve mostly plankton eaters, ever-swimming fishes of the upper zone of water.
These include Hilsa, Mackerel, pomfret, ribbon fish, Bombay Duck, Indian Salmon, Mullets, Oil
Sardine, pelagic sharks, Sword Fish, Butter Fish, Pike, Bonito, Skipjack, Threadfin, Smelts, Indian
Anchovy, Dorab Herring, Indian Scad, Bone Fish, etc, and a few other and related fishes which have
commercial importance. Dogfish, a smaller variety of shark is also found in Bangladesh water.

Demersal fishes are those which live on the sea floor or near the bottom of seawater. Most of the
demersal fishes are either carnivores or detritus feeders. Though the Bay of Bengal has about 442
species of marine fishes, only about 20 species are harvested commercially. Among the demersal
fishes Jaw fish, croakers, catfishes, flatfishes, pike, sea breams, snappers, scavengers, eel, goatfish,
crabeater, rabbit fish, rock fish, seabass, grouper, silver bream, ribbon fish, and demersal sharks are
the most important. On the other hand, roughly 10 species of marine shrimps are included among
demersal fish, together with some crabs. Though gastropods are considered seafood elsewhere, in
Bangladesh these are considered non-edible and hence are not harvested commercially.

Annually 350,000 to 400,000 m tons of marine fish and shrimp are harvested in Bangladesh. Most of
the fishes are caught by ordinary fishing boats or mechanized boats and are caught by fixed and drift
gill nets, set bag net and long lines.

The Bay of Bengal falls in the sub-tropical zone and no oceanic current enters into this Bay which
deprives it in nutrient recycling through upwelling. However, a great volume of freshwater is added
to the Bay of Bengal through the combined flow of the Ganges, the Brahmaputra and the Meghna.
These rivers carry land washout and a great mass of organic and inorganic nutrients and also help in
mixing fresh and marine waters to create one of the world's biggest brackish-water zones. Further,
the inflow of a vast amount of freshwater into the Bay of Bengal created one of the world's biggest
anadromous fisheries. Hilsa, a marine fish, spends most of its lifetime in the Bay of Bengal then
migrates to the river system for spawning. The young individuals return to the sea again.
Productivity of the Bay of Bengal partially depends on land washing and freshwater inflow from the
landmass

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Fish biodiversity

fish and prawn/shrimp populations in the open waters (rivers, floodplains, haor, beel, lake, estuary
and sea). Inland freshwaters are inhabited by over 266 species of finned fish. Shafi and Quddus
(1982) recorded 148 species of fishes belonging to 36 families and 10 species of Palaemonid prawns
from the freshwaters of Bangladesh, all of which are edible and popular as food. Prominent inland
fish fauna include major carps (6 species including Rui, Catla and Mrigal) and minor carps and
minnows (41 species including Punti, Chela, Mola and barbs), perches (31 species including Meni,
Baila, Chew and Chanda), catfishes (29 species including Pangas, Boal, Magur, Shing, Air, Rita, Pabda
and Bacha), shads (10 species including Hilsa representing 40 percent of the total inland catch,
Chapila, Kachki and Phasya), snakeheads (5 species including Gazar, Taki and Shoal), loaches (7
species) and featherbacks (2 species including Chital). Rahman (1989) listed 260 species of
freshwater fishes from Bangladesh. Bernascek et al. (1992) listed 137 species belonging to 31
families from the northeastern region of the country. Of the freshwater prawns, the genus
Macrobrachium is represented by 9 species.

The rivers (Halda, Padma, Jamuna, Meghna and Brahmaputra) also support a major carp spawn
fishery in which eggs, fry and fingerlings are collected to meet the demand for fish culture in ponds.
Several exotic species of fin-fish, such as tilapia (2 species), Chinese silver carp, grass carp, big-head
carp, black carp, common carps (all 4 varieties), Thai punti, Thai pangas, and African magur have
been introduced in Bangladesh for augmenting fish production through culture in ponds and lakes.

Hussain (1969) listed 475 species of fishes belonging to 133 families from the marine and estuarine
waters of Bangladesh. Quddus and Shafi (1983) identified 169 species of fishes from marine and
brackish-waters, of which, 148 species belonging to 59 families are bony fishes and 21 species
belonging to 10 families are cartilaginous. Major fishes are sea perches (63 species under 30
families) followed by herrings and shads (21 species under 3 families), catfishes (19 species under 3
families), and flatfishes (16 species under 5 families). Hilsa alone makes up about 60% of the total
catch from the sea. Sharks are represented by 10 species. Only about 65% of the marine fishes are of
commercial importance.

Marine shrimps are represented by 17 species, of which 6 belong to the genus Penaeus, 5 to
Metapenaeus, 4 to Parapenaeopsis and 2 to Solenocera. However, only 5 species of shrimp, such as,
Penaeus monodon, P. semisulcatus, P. indicus, Metapenaeus monoceros and M. brevicornis are
commercially important. About 5 species of lobster occur in the Bay of Bengal but only two species,
Panulirus polyphagus and Scyllarus nearctus are commonly found.

Beel fishery

Beel fishery fish and other edible resources collected or harvested from the beel, a type of naturally
formed wetland. Beels are the depressions with at least a part of the area permanently inundated by
water. They mostly occur in between the rivers and canals. Beels are usually saucer-shaped
depressions of marshy characters. In the rainy season they are full of water and resemble lakes. In
other seasons the water level goes down and sedges make them look like marshes. Some smaller
beels dry up completely in winter and the land is used for cultivation. Surface run-off and small

12
channels or canals that connect them with rivers feed them all. Bangladesh has a total of about
4,500 beels covering an area of about 11,41,161 ha.

There are a large number of beels in the northern part of the country. Dinajpur district has no large
beels. Rangpur district has three- Tagrai, west of Kurigram town; Lunipukur, west of Rangpur town;
and Bad beel in Pirganj upazila. In Bogra district there are two large beels, the Nurail and the
Keshpathar. Along the Mahananda River there are several beels, of which Baitia in Bholahat upazila
is the largest. The chalan beel system is very large and consists of a number of beels connected by
channels to form more or less one continuous sheet of water during the rainy season. The beel zone
comprises areas covering Singra and Gurudaspur upazilas of Natore, Chatmohar, Bhangura, and
Faridpur upazilas of Pabna, and Ullapara, Raiganj, and Tarash upazilas of Sirajganj districts. The
present area of the beel is about 26,000 ha.

In the southern part of the country there are far more beels than in the northern part, and also a
number of baors. The larger beels in this area are Kamladaha, Boyra, Boalia, Taleria, Dakatia, Pabla
and many others. In the central part of the country larger beels are few in number. Mention
however, may be made of the Hamil beel of Madhupur, and the Rajdhala beel of Netrokona district.
Beels are also scanty in the greater Sylhet areas, where many haors exist, and only small seasonal
beels are found with water in the rainy season. In the Chittagong region large beels are even fewer.
The well-known Gumai beel has been drained but occasionally floods quite deeply.

The beels are generally richer in fishes than the rivers. These waterbodies provide nearly 6.88% of
total inland fish production. The overall production of beels is rather low, only about 560 kg/ha, and
therefore the contribution of beel fishery at the national level cannot be said to be significant
(table). This is due to the fact that little or no attention has been paid towards the better
management of the beel fishery system. Various methods and management systems were tried in
the past to economically manage the beels. These included leasing fishing rights to co-operatives or
leasing to fishermen through open auctions. These efforts were not proved to be very effective as
they were exploited by non-fisher middlemen and other agents.

1992-1993 114,161 53,019 464

1993-1994 114,161 55,592 487

1994-1995 114,161 58,298 511

1995-1996 114,161 60,768 532

1996-1997 114,161 62,798 560

Source Yearbook of Agricultural Statistics of Bangladesh 1998

Many different freshwater fish species are available in the beels during the rainy season, while
during the dry winter and summer, the central zone acts as a sanctuary for the fishes. Extensive
fishing is done all the year round. The most common fish species found in different beels are as
follows Mola (Amblypharyngodon mola), Koi (Anabas testudineus), Khoira (Badis badis), Sarpunti
(Puntius sarana), Punti (Puntius sophora), Titpunti (Puntius ticto), Catla (Catla catla), Garua
(Clupisoma garua), Bacha (Clupisoma murius), Magur (Clarias batrachus), Chela (Chela baciala),

13
Khalisa (Colisa fasciata), Banspata (Danio devario), Bacha (Eutropiichthys vacha), Singi
(Heteropneustes fossilis), Ayeer (Mystus aor), Sonatengra (Mystus vittatus), Tengra (Mystus
tengara), Bansha Tengra (Mystus cavasius), Gochi (Mastacembelus pancalus), Baim (Mastacembelus
armatus), Tara Baim (Mastacembelus aculeatus), Chital (Notopterus chitala), Pholi (Notoperus
notopterus), Bheda (Nandus nandus), Pangus (Pangasius pangasius), Pabda (Ompok pabda), Kani
Pabda (Ompok bimaculatus), Gojar (Channa marulius), Shoal (Channa striatus), Lata (Channa
punctatus), Darkina (Rasbora daniconius), Chapila (Gudusia chapra), Phasa (Setipinna phasa), Boal
(Wallago attu), Mrigal (Cirrhinus mrigala), Raik (Cirrhinus reba), Rui (Labeo rohita), and Kalbaus
(Labeo calbasu).

In some beels fish culture is being practised by stocking the beels with fish fingerlings composed of
silver carp, catla, rui, mrigal, grass carp, rajputi, and common carp. Although capture fishery is the
common practice, in some beels isolated large and deep areas are separated by constructing high
dikes around them and are used for intensive captive fishery. [SM Humayun Kabir]

Baor fishery

Baor fishery fishery of the abandoned bow-shaped bend (channel) of rivers. Fish culture in baors is a
practice by which an open water fishery is converted into culture fishery by screening the inlets and
outlets. A number of baors from the capture fishery yield less than 200 kg/ha/year on an average in
comparison to a culture based fishery raising more than 500 kg/ha/year. The capture fishery is
entirely based on small indigenous fish whereas the culture fishery is stocked with 90% carp
fingerlings. More than 50 species of indigenous fishes belonging to 31 genera, 20 families and 11
orders could be found in a boar.

All the baors are now under a constant fishing pressure. The construction of dams and other flood
control structures have reduced the natural recruitment and contributed to stock depletion. Fishing
gears which are used in the baors include gillnets, liftnets, longline, seine nets, cast nets and also
various box-like fishing traps. In Bangladesh, baors are usually found in greater Jessore and Kurigram
districts. Some of the important baors of the country are Bukbhara, Kannadah, Baluhar, Joydia,
Sirisdia, Habullah Rustampur, Sonadia, and Bahadurpur. The total catch area in the baors is about
5488 ha and the annual production is about 2,460 m tons.

Haor fishery

Haor fishery capture of fisheries items from haors, which are natural quarries, mostly encircled by
highlands or hillocks, found in the northeastern part of Bangladesh. Haors are generally richer in
fishes than the rivers. Generally these vast low-lying areas (haors) are inundated during the rainy
season and become confluent with riverine floodwaters. Fishes are not found in high concentrations
during the monsoon due to increase in water areas.

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The haors serve as the natural brood stocks of many indigenous fishes including carps. With the
advent of the dry season water recedes, the relatively elevated parts of haor area begin to dry when
paddy, mostly the boro crop, is raised on the dried upland areas. The relatively depressed areas,
however, remain under water where fishes take shelter. These submerged depressions are known as
beels. Almost all the freshwater fishes are available in haors. In Bangladesh, haors are usually found
in Sylhet area. [Md Altaf Hossain]

Kaptai Lake fishery

Kaptai Lake fishery The Karnafuli reservoir, popularly known as the Kaptai Lake, situated in the SE
part of Bangladesh, is one of the largest man-made freshwater lakes in the world and the biggest in
southeast Asia. Maximum and mean depths of the reservoir respectively are 35m and 9m with
annual vertical water fluctuations of 8.14 m. The reservoir was formed through damming the main
course of the river Karnafuli at the vicinity of Kaptai town in Rangamati Hill District in 1961. As a
result of damming, the river Karnafuli and its four other tributaries (Chengi, Mynee and Kassalong in
the North, and Ryangkong in the South) with their surroundings became submerged and formed the
vast H-shaped water body having an water area of about 58,300 ha at mean supply level. The
previous Karnafuli River is not easily traceable now.

Like most of the hydroelectric reservoirs of the world, fishery in the Karnafuli reservoir is a
secondary enterprise. Most parts of the lake spread over the valleys of the hills which were once
covered with patches of dense natural forests and were partially made clear before submergence. As
a result, the shorelines and the basin of the lake are uneven due to hillocks and are strewn with
remnants of teaks and other timber logs obviating easy fishing operations. Fishery in the reservoir is
of the multi-species and multigear type and supports more than 4000 small-scale fishermen.

Inspite of some unfavourable physico-chemical conditions, such as higher and uncontrolled water
depth, and wide variations in the vertical water temperatures, the reservoir is quite rich in
indigenous diversified fish fauna. About 73 species of fish under 47 genera and 25 families, and 2
species of prawn have so far been recorded from this reservoir. Of the fish species 66 are indigenous
and the remaining 7 are exotic. The population structure was different at the beginning, but due to
change from a riverine to a lacustrine environment, a number of indigenous species disappeared or
changed greatly in number and abundance. On the other hand, a number of exotic species have
been introduced either accidentally, or for enhancing fish production. At present 31 species are
commercially harvested and the rest do not have any commercial importance, but have other
biological uses. Although some species like the major carps are confronting adverse situations, the
reservoir is considered to be one of the important carp breeding habitats of Bangladesh in respect of
its depth, current velocity, turbidity and the meanders of the river stretches. Intensive studies on
natural spawning of major carps in the Karnafuli reservoir however, is scanty. The fish population of
the lake is composed of major carps 21%, predators 15%, weed fish 44%, and others 20%.

The landing record shows that the major carp population is gradually declining (Table). To meet the
situation considerable amounts of carp fries/fingerlings have been liberated regularly since 1980s.
From the beginning of the 1980s, a number of exotic species including the Chinese carps are being
introduced to properly use the reservoir's trophic levels through the control of macrophytes and
green algae, in addition to enhancing fish production.

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Export Performance

Fish marketing the act of buying or selling fish or fishery products. Preserving, transporting and
marketing are three important links in the chain of fish production and consumption connecting the
producer, broker, wholesaler, retailer and consumer. Fish harvesting and marketing become
profitable only when the fishery products are delivered in a wholesome condition and at a price
acceptable to the consumers.

Fish marketing is almost entirely a function of the private sector and operates through a complex
system of village markets (hat), township markets (bazar), assembly centres, major urban wholesale
and retail markets. There is a corresponding network of personnel, from buyers who may be hat
traders or agents of bigger bazaar fish merchants (Bepari/Mahajan) to wholesale market commission
agents (Adotdar/Paikar) who effectively control the whole system. The fishermen are compelled to
hand over their catches to the trader/middleman (Adotdar/Paikar) at a price determined by the
latter. The middleman is not just a trader in fish. He is often an owner of capital like boat, net, etc,
which he leases out to fishermen. He may be a fisherman himself owning and operating boat, gear,
employing fishermen on a fixed wage as hired labourers and enjoying unearned income depriving
the actual fishermen of the benefit of their labour and production. The exploitation of the fishermen
is mainly due to the monopolistic set up of the fish trade.

Despite many problems the fish marketing system in Bangladesh is quite efficient and enables fish to
be moved as and when needed between market centres without excessive loss of quality. Boats are
used to collect fish from the fishermen. The fishes are packed in baskets with ice. Trucks and buses
are used to transport the fish to larger towns. The main problems, however are unavailability of ice,
or inadequate supplies at most landing centres and the unsatisfactory state of fish market
structures. Almost all markets are ill managed and unhygienic.

The Bangladesh Fisheries Development Corporation has constructed a modern fish harbour at
Chittagong and fish landing centres at Cox's Bazar, Barisal, Khepupara, Patharghata and Khulna for
marine catch and at Rangamati, Kaptai, Rajshahi and Dabor for freshwater catch. The harbour and all
the centres are equipped with modern and hygienic facilities like berthing, auctioning, ice-plants,
cold storage, freezer storage, fish vans, etc. But the traders are often less interested in using these
facilities due to ignorance and self-interest. [Mohammad Shafi]

Oyster fishery

Culture of edible bivalve molluscs, the oysters, in shallow warm waters. Besides oysters, the fishery
includes other bivalves such as mussels, clams, and scallops. They are filter feeders and have a
common life history pattern in which the early stages are planktonic. For culture, poles are planted
in shallow coasts with a gentle slope. Oyster spats collected from the natural breeding grounds are
transferred to the growing site where they are hung on the raft, and are marketed when they are 4-7
cm in size after 7-8 months of culture.

In Bangladesh, some species of Ostrea and Crassostrea are known to occur and may be utilized for
culture. The coastal area with high tidal amplitude, sufficient tidal current, a plain low-lying tract of
muddy loams, fringe of mangrove vegetation, pollution-free zone, suitable salinity range, and high
plankton abundance seems to be suitable for their culture either using stakes, poles, racks, and trays

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in the shallow areas or floating rafts and long lines in deeper waters with a very low capital
involvement. Although not scientifically cultured, pearl produced by freshwater clams are regularly
collected in certain areas in Bangladesh. [Nani Gopal Das]

Problems

Perspectives for the fishery sector over the coming decade suggest that with the right mix of policy
and investment, the potential can be good, in spite of increasing constraints. Based primarily on
growth in aquaculture, but with prospects of upholding and adding value to the capture sector,
increased output, and corresponding gains in value and employment could be envisaged. This should
be achievable within current expectations of the quality and availability of Bangladesh’s physical and
biological aquatic resources, and assumes broadly similar though differently placed levels of
management and administration. However, the impact of such changes in terms of food supply and
livelihoods, and access for different groups of people, particularly the poor, will depend on a range
of factors. These must be understood and applied if wider benefits are to be maintained and
extended. Table 1 indicates the broad expectations for change. The prognosis for aquaculture is
positive, while that for capture fisheries, is at best slightly negative due to long term effects of a
declining resource base, and the practical difficulties of management

CONCLUSIONS

Small-scale shrimp farmers in the coastal area are presently in a poor state. The flow of capital
between the shrimp farmers and related activities is reduced. Measures need to be taken to assist
shrimp farmers; otherwise this potentially valuable sector will disappear from this area.

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References

www.agriculture.go.ug/...DFR.com on date 27th November,2014

http://www.mofl.gov.bd/ on date 28th November,2014

http://www.thefishsite.com/ on date 29th November,2014

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