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Beel Fishery and Livelihood of the Local Community in Rajdhala, Netrakona, Bangladesh

M.A. Rahman
Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute, Riverine Station, Chandpur 3602

M.M. Haque
Department of Fisheries Management, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh 2202, Bangladesh

Abstract/ Executive Summary:

Baseline survey and Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) during January 2003 to December 2004 on the fishing community revealed that unregulated fishing, use of destructive fishing gears, poaching of fishes, difficulties encountered in enforcing fisheries regulation and the helplessness of fishers to find alternative sources of income during banned fishing period (June to October) were the major management problems. CBFM (Community Based Fisheries Management) system as an alternative management strategy has been introduced to ensure active participation of the target group-the poor fishers living around the beet who were previously deprived to get access to the beel. Establishing a leasing system for controlled access, ensuring greater user-group participation through equitable distribution of all resource benefits among members, attempting to enforce penalties for illegal fishing linked with surprise checks to enforce management regulations are some of the recent steps taken by the BMC (Beel Management Committee). Chapila fish intake by the community was 31.25 g/head/day before stocking the beet by carp fingerlings. After stocking, they consumed chapila as fish protein from 8.33 g to 20.8 g/head/day during the fishing season (November to May) indicating that due to introduction of carp fingerlings, chapila production has been decreased in 2003-2004. About 77.5% families around the beet were found to be dependent directly and/or indirectly on chapila and other indigenous fishes of the beet for their livelihood, through fishing, marketing and other activities like net and boat preparation and nets mending etc. Particularly fishers' families were found to face serious problem during non-fishing period like June to October for their livelihood. Analyzing the present research result it was also observed that other than declination in biodiversity, the fishing pressure on promising chapila of the beet was found high and that is why the production of chapila has also been decreased. To get sustainable chapila production from the heel, it is suggested to ensure successful spawning and recruitment as juveniles, and hence the chapila should be undisturbed during its breeding period from March to July, and fishing pressure on the same species needs to be reduced for obtaining sustainable fish production.

Keywords: Beel, Livelihood, CBFM, Gudusia chapra

Location: Purbadhala, Netrakona

Start Date: 00-01-2003

End Date: 00-12-2004

Program Area: Conservation and Biodiversity

Non-commodity: Management

Objectives:

To understand the fishery of Rajdhala heel, management system and biodiversity of the heel and livelihood of the fishers around the beel.

Methodology:

The Rajdhala heel at Purbadhala, Netrakona with an area of about 53 ha (24°70' to 25°80' N and 90°29' to 90°48' E) is an important reservoir with rich ichthyofauna. The beel is an oval shaped depression capable of retaining about 4.7 to 7.7 m water throughout the year. From early 1996 Caritas, a non-government organization organized the heel under the CBFM system. ICLARM (International Center for Living Aquatic Resources Management, currently World Fish Center) provided technical support to the fishers' groups to introduce CBFM activities in the beel. Catch composition data and other information were collected from the main fish landing site of the beel and also from Caritas officials and BMC personnel. On sampling dates, records were taken from the catches of 10 out of 14 crafts and the total weight of the catches. Regular observations were made during the two years and length-frequency data of chapila was collected on each occasion. Information on the status of the fishery and the socio-economics of the fishing community was gathered through interviewing 35 out of 83 active and part-time fishermen during January 2003-December 2004. Data on monthly income and other informations like the impacts of chapila on homestead nutrition and livelihood of the poor community and additional information on the organization and operation of the fishery were collected by using Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) tools, questionnaire fill up and also by direct interviewing the participants attended in the meeting of the fishermen's co-operative society. PRA was conducted in several occasions during March-April 2003 and again during March-April 2004 at Rajdhala Beel, Purbadhala, Netrakona dividing the four villagers into two groups each time.

Source of Information: Bangladesh J. Fish. Res., 12(1 ), 2008: 95-108

Article Link (Online Journal):

Funding Source:

Total Budget (Tk.) :

Achievement/Findings:

The annual chapila production is decreasing due to stocking of silver carp and catla, over fishing of chapila and use of fertilizers, pesticides, insecticides etc. in the nearby agricultural lands. If the reduction of chapila catch continues in future then there is every possibility that the poor community living around the Rajdhala beel will face nutritional deficiency. If restocking of silver carp is stopped and chapila remains undisturbed during peak spawning period, then production of chapila may increase. It was also observed that the beelfishery as a whole and particularly the beel chapila play a pivotal role in various ways on the family nutrition and livelihood of the rural poor community around the beel. Therefore, effective co-management system need to be developed to obtain sustainable fish production from the beel for maintaining fish biodiversity of the beel.

Knowledge Management: Journal