Study areas: Sujanagar, Pabna is located at 23°55′00″N 89°26′00″E. It has 36136 households and total area 334.4 km². Only three unions from Sujanagra upazillas, Pabna were selected to conduct the study, based on the availability of waterbodies/wetlands. Three unions (Dulai, Ahammadpur and Raninagar) were randomly selected from the study area. The study areas were concentrated on 27 villages, of which 7 villages were in Dulai Union, 11 villages in Ahmmadpur Union and 9 villages in Raninagr Union. Demography: As of the 1991 Bangladesh census, Sujanagar has a population of 214132. Males constitute are 51.86% of the population, and females 48.14%. Upazila's population over the age of eighteen is 102,202. Sujanagar has an average literacy rate of 26.7% (7+ years), and the national average of 32.4% literate. The total populations of the surveyed area were 71,438 people of whom 35,497 were females, 35,491 males, 16,228 children and 203 were disabled. According to family professions, 14,567 were farmers, 2,516 fishermen, 2,091 weavers (tanti), 1,124 tobacco labours, 876 businessmen, 233 teachers, 23 doctors, 578 van pullers, 1,333 services, 169 nochimon (korimon) drivers and 2,091 others. Average income per capita per diem was Taka 200. Fishermen’s livelihood: Fishermen’s livelihood depends mainly on fishing activities including fishing, fish processing and fish marketing. For the preparation of fishing they need capital for purchasing fishing implements and maintenance of the existing ones. Eight units of fishermen groups are living in the vicinity of water bodies; 1) Dulai Natun para mathsayjibi shamity, 2) Char gobinda pur khara para matshyajibi shamity, 3) Char Dulai matshyajibi shamity, 4) Char Boalia matshyajibi shamity, 5) Syed pur matshyajibi shamity, 6) Rani nagar matshyajibi shamity, 7) Badai matshyajibi shamity and 8) Sharirvita matshyajibi shamity. The fishermen units each consist of about 30 members. Fishing was usually done once a day and preferably at night. Average duration of fishing was normally eight hours using local fishing implements. Fishing implements were country nets and other implements (dharma jal, jhaki jal, vashal jal, fansh jal, charo, and so forth). Due to lack of available fish, the yield was low (30 kg/HA/day) and the average fishing yield/day was 600 kg in the study area, which gives about 108,000 kg of fish a year when fishing every second day. Capital: The main source of capital is a loan from Mahajon or an NGO’s credit. In case of the Mahajoni loan, they have to repay with high interest and within a short time. But in case of an NGO loan, they can wait for some time before repaying. The maximum loan is normally not enough for them, though NGO charges lower interest than Mahajon. Marketing opportunity The fishermen groups in the study area are using local markets for fish marketing. Individual fishermen often sell their fish in the local bazaar or to the community in the villages. Ownership of fishing implements: The fishermen rely heavily on local /indigenous fishing equipment, including several types of nets, traps and others. Most equipment belongs to them, made by threads, bamboo and other local resources. Fishing practices: Fishermen in rural Bangladesh usually live in a community in the vicinity of water bodies. They cooperate closely among themselves in all sorts of social and livelihood activities. Most of the fishermen are primarily dependent on fishing. They use simple and traditional fishing equipment. For fishing in the inland waters the fishermen use non-motorised boats and traditional nets. The only touch of modern technology is the recent use of nylon nets. The practice of fishing may be an activity of an individual or a group of fishermen, but fishing equipment is normally owned by an individual and not by the group. The income from fishing is different, not only in accordance with the types of fishing practices, but also with the various seasons. The income level among the fishermen is differentially distributed. Thus, many fishermen have neither the possibility nor the capacity of improving their position.The life of fishermen in Bangladesh has changed gradually. Due to the decline of fishing grounds and fishery resources, members of the fishing communities have started to leave their traditional occupation in search of other jobs. Sampling and data collection: A survey of the given areas was carried out over a period of three months from March to June 2010. A total of 70 semistructured and open structured questionnaires were administered randomly to adult males and females. The participants were selected randomly, and completion of questionnaires was facilitated through ‘face-to-face’ communication tools. The questionnaire included socio-demographic variables and a set of open-ended questions related to perceptions of respondents towards the loss of wetland biodiversity. Data analyses: Data were analysed using SPSS Version 16.0 (SPSS, Chicago, IL, USA). In this study, perceptions were related to level of occupation. The significance level was set at p < 0.05. Differences between perceptions were tested using Pearson’s chi-square (χ2) test.