Monirul Haque Rony

The recent report of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) entitled 'The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2022' says that despite various obstacles, three countries of the world, including Bangladesh, have set an example in the production of farmed fish.

The other two are Vietnam and Egypt. According to the report, Bangladesh ranks second in the world in terms of production of finfish such as rui, katla, pangash, tilapia, grass carp, silver carp, etc.

Overall, Bangladesh ranks 3rd both in the production of farmed fish and freshwater fish after India and China. While freshwater fish production has declined in most of the countries of the world due to increasing population growth and multifaceted pollution, four countries of the world including Bangladesh have maintained the continuity of production. Which has been described in the report as one of the brightest exceptions in the world. The other three countries that have maintained production continuity are India, Myanmar and Uganda.

Hilsa contributes the most to the position of Bangladesh in the world in the production of finfish. It has been said that about 13 lakh tons, representing 11 percent of the world's freshwater fish, is now being produced in Bangladesh. The contribution of Hilsa is about six and a half lakh tons, which is about half of the total production of Bangladesh.

This growing achievement of Bangladesh in fish production has been made possible mainly due to the increase in the production of Hilsa and local fish alone. Bangladesh is now a role model in the world in hilsa production. It has always been ranked first among the 11 hilsa producing countries in the world. Bangladesh produces 85 percent of the world's hilsa.

Which is a matter of pride and pleasure for Bangladesh. Not only that, compared to other hilsa producing countries, the production of hilsa in Bangladesh is gradually increasing. According to the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, the country's hilsa production has increased by about 83 percent in the last 12 years.

In a word, a revolution has been made in the production of hilsa and other fish in Bangladesh. In this regard, experts opine that the invention of improved varieties of different species of fish by the fisheries scientists of the country and its popularity among the farmers, the development of modern farming methods of indigenous fish species that are endangered, the correct strategy of the government, the imposition of strict rules and regulations in the extraction of hilsa, etc.

have contributed significantly to the increase of the fish resources of the country. According to the Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute (BFRI), 36 species of small fish have been developed in the last one era. As a result, the production of farmed fish has increased from 67 thousand metric tons to about two and a half lacks metric tons.

The FAO report, however, gave a negative indication of Bangladesh's marine fisheries. Because Bangladesh's progress in marine fishing is not as expected. Currently, Bangladesh ranks 25th in the world in terms of marine fish production. The amount of fish extracted from this sector is only 6 lakh 70 thousand metric tons every year. Which is only 16 percent of the country's total fish production. China, which is ranked 1st, has a production capacity of 11.77 million metric tons. In other words, it is needless to say that we are still far behind in catching marine fish.

There is no denying that there is a huge potential for fish in the sea. Therefore, the emphasis on increasing marine fish production along with increasing freshwater fish production will further enrich our fisheries sector.

Along with the economic importance of fish, the contribution of the fisheries sector in meeting the nutritional needs of the growing population of the country, employment, poverty alleviation and export earnings is universally acknowledged today. Fish provides about 60 percent of the animal protein in our daily diet.

The fisheries sector also has an outstanding contribution to the GDP. At present the fisheries sector contributes 3.57 percent to GDP, 26.50 percent to agricultural GDP and 1.24 percent to total export earnings. According to the Bangladesh Agricultural Information Service (AIS), the GDP growth in the fisheries sector has been 6.28 percent in the last decade.

It is said that if the current growth trend in fish production continues, the country's fish production will stand at 9 million metric tons in 2041. Besides, the importance of the fisheries sector in creating employment is increasing day by day. The fisheries sector was an exception, although workers were laid off in other sectors in the last two years.

Employment in this sector has not shrunk, but new employment has been created. At present, more than 12 percent of the total population of the country, including about 1.4 million women, are directly or indirectly dependent on this sector for their livelihood. After all, the fisheries sector is now a promising name in the development of Bangladesh.

However, as there are possibilities in this sector, there are also various adversities and big challenges. The important thing now is to keep up with the ongoing trend of fish production by overcoming these adversities and challenges.

Most of the rivers in the country are plagued by encroachment and pollution. And if the river pollution is not prevented, the production of hilsa along with other fish is expected to decrease drastically. Illegal occupation and filling of canals, beels and reservoirs along with rivers has now become a daily matter. Elsewhere, local influentials are creating illegal dams on the river that disrupt the normal flow of the river as well as the normal movement and reproduction of fish.

As a result of occupation and filling of open water bodies, the production of freshwater fish is being severely hampered. In addition, catching fish with eggs during the breeding season, indiscriminate use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, construction of unplanned dams, removal of all fish by irrigation, dumping of industrial waste in ponds, application of poisons in ponds, lack of modern methods of fish farming and awareness are also obstacles to fish production.

Excessive use of prohibited and illegal current nets is also one of the obstacles to increasing fish production. A class of unscrupulous fishermen tricks the administration into keeping current nets in the river. As the normal production of hilsa is being disrupted, the breeding of other fish is also being hampered. According to AIS, if only 25 per cent of the amount of jatka caught per year can be saved, it is possible to produce 1.5 lakh metric tons of hilsa per year with a market value of tk 600 crore. Not only hilsa but also many aquatic creatures and insects are being caught in the monsoon season with the free use of these nets and as a result the balance of the environment is being endangered.

Fisheries experts believe that climate change also has a negative impact on the fisheries sector. Because climate change is increasing the temperature of the environment and sea level is rising. The intensity and number of cyclones and tidal waves are increasing. For all these reasons, fish farming, normal reproduction and movement of fish are being disrupted. The amount of salinity is increasing in the coastal areas.

As a result, fish production in rivers, canals, beels, haors and ponds in these areas is declining. There is also a shortage of adequate research in the fisheries sector. Inventing modern and advanced farming methods through research is the need of the day. In this case, priority should be given to endangered native species of fish. According to IUCN (2015), out of 260 species of freshwater fish in our country, 64 species are endangered. Of these, only 30 species are being cultivated. However, BFRI data says that if the rest of the cultivation increases, the fish production in Bangladesh will reach 5 million tons.

Ocean is one of the potential sources of sea fish. However, due to lack of proper training of marine fishermen, lack of capital for investors in the sector, shortage of fishing boats and trawlers required for fishing, lack of adequate safety for fishermen at sea, lack of statistical information on fish stocks and quantities at sea, this source is not being used properly. Whereas, if this source could be used effectively, fish production would increase manifold.

Therefore, the government should pay special attention to the protection of marine fishery resources including modernization of this sector. Apart from this, it is necessary to ensure the availability of high-quality fish hatchery and low-cost fish feed, providing easy loans to fishermen, especially those who collect fish in the sea, providing proper security in the sea and providing modern fishing equipment, along with providing a fair price for the fish produced.

The fisheries sector is a tangible symbol of Bangladesh's economic development. As the development of this sector will strengthen the foundation of our economy, it will also be one of the regulators to meet our nutritional needs. Therefore, if this sector can be taken care of more according to a well-thought-out proper strategy and plan, then the tradition and chemistry of eating rice and fish of Bengalis in the fertile soil of paddy and crystal clear water ponds and river fish will remain unchanged as in the past.

The writer is a social worker and lecturer Dept of Social Work at Savar Govt College, Savar, Dhaka