M.F. Rahman
Department of Fisheries, Matshya Bhavan, Ramna, Dhaka - 1000, Bangladesh
K.C.A. Jalal
Department of Biotechnology, Kulliyah of Science, International Islamic uniersity Malaysia, Jalan Sulatn Ahmad Shah, Bandar Indera Mahkota, 25200 Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia,
Nasrin Jahan
Department of Fisheries, Matshya Bhavan, Ramna, Dhaka - 1000, Bangladesh
B.Y. Kamaruzzaman
Department of Biotechnology, Kulliyah of Science, International Islamic uniersity Malaysia, Jalan Sulatn Ahmad Shah, Bandar Indera Mahkota, 25200 Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia
R. Ara
Department of Aquaculture, Faculty of Agriculture, 43400 Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
A. Arshad
Department of Aquaculture, Faculty of Agriculture, 43400 Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
Fish culture, Flood plains, Water bodies, Biodiversity, Strategies, Sustainability
Department of Fisheries, Matshya Bhavan, Ramna, Dhaka - 1000, Bangladesh
Resource Development and Management
Fisheries enhancements, qualitative and quantitative improvement of fisheries can be achieved by exercising specific management options. These options include inlet-outlet management through enclosures, increasing the existing fish stocks (stock enhancement), introduction/transplantation of new fish species (species enhancements), improving the environment (habitat enhancements), changing the exploitation means/norms (management enhancements) and enhancement through new culture systems. The success of stock enhancement of floodplain fisheries depends on- a) the development of a stocking strategy appropriate to the floodplain system (i.e., choice of floodplains with greatest potential, durability of accessible flood land water, species composition, fingerling size at first stocking, stocking density, fingerling supply sources, floodplain management, etc. and b) the development of appropriate institutional arrangements for managing both the stocking programme and the floodplain environment: A key component of this is cost recovery.
Although, the earlier CBFM approach showed promising results for enhancing fish production in the floodplains but in many cases results were poor in terms of yield, fish abundance, biodiversity and overall management of the system. Earlier efforts were mainly centered on formation of CBO, stocking of fish fingerlings, supervision, monitoring, harvesting of fish and distribution of benefits. Technical options on different dimensions of fish culture in the floodplains were obscured. Considering the variation in management performance and success of technical interventions future research was needed, in order to improve understanding why the technical options was successful at some sites but not in others. However, there is growing evidence from studies worldwide that CBFM can empower communities to enforce responsible management practices which in turn can lead to sustainable harvests and fair access. The availability of information regarding such interventions is still very scarce due to lack of research in this field. In the light of the diverse agro-ecological conditions, climate and environmental change, socio-cultural situation, availability of accessible water resources and their biological productivity, there is a wide scope of research that still needs to be explored for adoption of successful community based co-management systems in Bangladesh.
Seasonal floodplains offer a unique opportunity to enclose parts of the flooded areas to produce a fish crop through stocking of fingerlings along with non-stocked indigenous species without affecting the agriculture activity. Effective utilization of floodwater can result in more production and increased household consumption and income for all stakeholders depending on the system. Research conducted in Bangladesh and Vietnam has demonstrated that community-based fish culture in rice fields could increase yield by about 600 kg/ha/year in shallow flooded areas and up to 1500 kg/ha/year in deep-flooded areas, without reducing the rice yield or wild fish catch. Seasonal floodplains being the major share of our open water resources could contribute significantly to national fish production with adoption of locally suitable technical management practices in cost-effective way. A good number of attempts were made to bring the floodplains under community based fisheries management programs for enhancing fish production, rural employment generation and livelihood security of the rural poor’s. These initiatives mainly focused on management issues such as, formation of Community Based Organization (CBOs), selective stocking of major carps and harvestings. So far, no comprehensive attempt was made to explore the possibility of exercising technical options to judge its merit for maximizing fish production in seasonal floodplains across the country. It has been showed the effectiveness of various technological interventions (fencing, stocking, post-stocking management and harvesting strategies) on fish production, biodiversity and livelihood enhancement of the local communities through undertaking fish culture program in six seasonal floodplains (three experimental sites- Beel Mail, Kalmina Beel and Angrar Beel floodplain; three control sites-chandpur beel andula beel and painglar Beel floodplain) under community based management approach. The floodplains were located in three major river basins (the Padma, the Teesta and the Brahmaputra) in Bangladesh with community involvement approach where fishers, landless, land owners included as beneficiaries of the floodplains in the form of Community Based Organizations (CBOs). The study was materialized under three broad sub-headings such as (1)-Determination of appropriate technological intervention for increasing fish production in seasonal floodplains (2)-Impact of stocking on fish biodiversity in seasonal floodplains and (3)-Assessment of the livelihood status of beneficiaries involved in culture of fish in seasonal floodplain. After two years of study he concluded that technological interventions in seasonal floodplains brought out remarkable positive changes in enhancing fish production and biodiversity which ensured increased economic return and livelihood improvement of the beneficiaries. These changes were reflected in the acquisition of physical assets of the beneficiaries.
Pakistan Journal of Biological Sciences, 15: 551-567; ISSN 1028-8880
Journal