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Capture Fisheries Scenario of the Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh in Last Two Decades Through Industrial Freezer Trawler

Uttam Kumar
Institute of Marine Sciences and Fisheries, University of Chittagong, Chittagong-4331 Bangladesh.

Md. Sohel Parvez
National Oceanographic Research Institute, Ramu, Cox’s Bazar-4730, Bangladesh.

Jewel Das
Institute of Marine Sciences and Fisheries, University of Chittagong, Chittagong-4331 Bangladesh.

Chowdhury Mohammad Nizamuddowla
Sea Resource Group, Chittagong-4000, Bangladesh.

Satya Ranjan Tarafda
Development Activist, Khulna-9100, Bangladesh.

Abstract/ Executive Summary:

Industrial fishing in Bangladesh is operated by wooden trawler (ice trawler) and steel made trawler known as freezer trawler. There is significant lack of valuable information on freezer trawler fishing data though it contributes a remarkable portion in national marine capture fisheries which is not negligible. This study aims to investigate the historical trends in freezer trawler fishing of Bay of Bengal. Data from different sources were compiled and analyzed to complete this study. A total of 91 industrial freezer trawlers were recorded from the deep-sea fishing industry in Bangladesh. 72 of them are fish trawlers and 19 are shrimp trawlers. In 1990, there were only 5 freezer trawlers with a total capacity of 490 ton which increased up to 21737 ton in 2014 by 91 trawlers. The calculated production of marine capture fisheries by freezer trawlers increased from 2940 ton (1990) to 150113 ton (2014) that is about 1 to 21 % of the FAO landings and 0.5 to 12 % of the reconstructed total national production of marine capture fisheries respectively. A total of 1.83 million ton of fisheries products were captured from the Bay of Bengal in last two decades (1990-2014). This study output will be helpful as a baseline database of freezer trawler for marine capture fisheries in Bangladesh.

Keywords: Freezer trawler, Capture fisheries, Bay of Bengal

Location: Government offices (BFDC, DG Shipping, Marine Fisheries Academy, Marine Fisheries Office)

Start Date: 00-00-1990

End Date: 00-00-2014

Program Area: Socio-economic and Policy

Commodity: Fish

Objectives:

1. To investigate the number of freezer trawlers are being engaged in deep-sea fishing in the BoB,

2. To calculate approximate fisheries yield by those trawlers and compare the production data with the FAO capture production statistics and reconstructed total national marine catches.

Methodology:

A survey was conducted on the freezer trawlers those engaged in fishing at different fishing grounds of Bangladesh since 1990 to 2014. Data were collected from Government offices (BFDC, DG Shipping, Marine Fisheries Academy, Marine Fisheries Office), Trawler Captains, sailors who had been working in various trawlers since the 1980s in BOB and industrial fishing companies of Bangladesh. Total yearly production was deliberated based on trawler capacity. The calculation of yearly production totaled through multiplying production per voyage with voyage frequency (7 for fish trawlers, 6 for shrimp trawlers/year). Calculated yearly catch data were assembled to FAO reports (FIGIS, 2015) on marine capture fisheries of Bangladesh and to reconstructed data of Bangladesh marine fisheries catches since 1950 - 2010. No fishing company lets its trawlers anchored idly at the shore unless there is any sea roughness or low pressure or got any emergency signal by the Sea Transport Authority. So a fishing vessel must complete its full voyage until filled up fish storage capacity. The government took some efficient management measures for the marine capture fisheries in Bangladesh. One of these is the limitation of the fishing days for industrial trawlers as the freezer trawlers are permitted to fish not more than 30 days while non-freezer trawlers are permitted to sail for up to 15 days in a single voyage and to limit the discard of by-catch the shrimp trawlers must have at least 30 % fish in the total catch (GoB, 1993). After returning to shore, it takes 5 to 7 days of a trawler for unloading and trawl net or light body repairing and oil bunkering purposes and another 2 days gone in the way of shore to the fishing grounds of each voyage. For those activities a vessel could operate maximum 20 to 22 days of fishing in a month to fulfill its storage capacity. So, each trawler has a chance to explore the BOB for about 9 months. Again, from those 9 months due to continuous low pressure and heavy intolerable rolling on the month of June- July, the bay force to keep trawlers stay inshore around 40 days. If that is the case – it is almost accurate except some exception that in every year a trawler could complete 7 full voyages, including short voyages and can return to shore having full of its storage capacity. A shrimp trawler needs more days than a fin fish trawler and it could complete 6 full voyages including other short voyages. If there were no new trawler launched in a year, the yield is considered same as the previous year in this calculation.

Source of Information: Res. Agric. Livest. Fish., Vol. 3, No. 1, April 2016: 217-226

Article Link (Online Journal): DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/ralf.v3i1.27880

Funding Source:

Budget:

Total Budget (Tk.) :

Achievement/Findings:

The calculated production of marine capture fisheries by freezer trawlers increased from 2940 ton (1990) to 150113 ton (2014) that is about 1 to 21 % of the FAO landings and 0.5 to 12 % of the reconstructed total national production of marine capture fisheries respectively. A total of 1.83 million ton of fisheries products were captured from the Bay of Bengal in last two decades (1990-2014). This study output will be helpful as a baseline database of freezer trawler for marine capture fisheries in Bangladesh.

Knowledge Management: Journal