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Problems’ and Prospects of Fish Farming in Some Selected Area of Bangladesh and Its Implications on Increased Fish Production

M. G. Mustafa*
The WorldFish Center, Bangladesh and South Asia Office, House 22B, Road 7, Block F, Banani, Dhaka, 1213, Bangladesh

Alan C. Brooks
The WorldFish Center, Bangladesh and South Asia Office, House 22B, Road 7, Block F, Banani, Dhaka, 1213, Bangladesh

Abstract/ Executive Summary:

This paper presents a comparative analysis of the technical and economic parameters of two community-led approaches: the semi-closed water bodies and the floodplain water bodies-based systems in Bangladesh. The two approaches differ in management, fish production, impact on biodiversity, capital investment and annual variable costs, share of profits and proportional benefits for the poor, and impact on allied businesses—the so-called backward and forward linkages. For the semi-closed water bodies (beels) the fish harvest increased from an annual average of 380 kg ha21in 2002 to 921 kg ha21by 2005. During the same period, the biodiversity measured for self-recruiting indigenous species, using the Shannon-Weiner Index (H0), increased significantly (P,0.05) from 2.24 in 2002 to 2.56 in 2005. For the floodplain aquaculture system (Pankowrior Daudkandi model) annual fish production ranged from 1.5 to 1.8 t ha21. Annual net economic benefit per hectare was found to be Taka 37,710^24,600 and 26,819^10,780 for semi-closed and floodplain systems respectively. The net income per kg of the product was found to be Taka 44.0^9.0 and 13.0^3.0 for semi-closed and floodplain systems, respectively. The floodplain system tends to use comparatively more feed and fertilizers per unit area than pond-based aquaculture.

Keywords: Aquaculture; Bangladesh; CBFM; Floodplains; Stocking

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Program Area: Socio-economic and Policy

Commodity: Fish

Objectives:

This paper focuses on the comparative study of the technical and economic parameters of the two community-led approaches: the semi-closed water bodies and the floodplain water bodies-based systems. The management, yield, environmental impact, financial input and equitability, and effect on the market chain vary in the two approaches studied.

Methodology:

Catch monitoring and gear survey Catch monitoring was an observational process of the fishing effort. The gear survey involved a regular spot survey to obtain a representative of the gear in operation and the total catch from that gear. In addition, with organized fishing, the observations of fishing activity were done for four to eight days per month per site. Survey sampling covered gear census and catch monitoring (subsistence fishing)from 8 of the 12 semi-closed/floodplain water bodies. The stocking and harvest data were also collected from four floodplain water bodies. Gear census covered the number and type of gear operating in the study sites. Catch monitoring recorded species-wise catch statistics of each gear type. An average number of gear units per day was used to estimate a total gear-wise fishing effort for that month as well as for the whole year. A mean gear-wise catch rate was used to estimate the total catch for that month, as well as for the whole year. Yearly and overall species distributions were calculated from annual catch statistics data. Overall production was estimated by summing the estimated total production for all gear types in each year (subsistence catch and organized production taken from BMC records). However, total production for floodplain water bodies was collected from records maintained by the organization.

Source of Information: Water Policy 11 Supplement 1 (2009) 69–79

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Achievement/Findings:

The present study clearly reveals that the semi-closed stocked beels (using the CBFM approach)generated a substantial benefit to the poor fishers and participating community members. On the other hand, the floodplain aquaculture system (using the Pankowri or Daudkandi model), which is a costly approach, generates benefit for only certain sectors of the community (especially landowners) at the cost of biodiversity, ecology and the livelihoods of poor people, especially fishers. However, in terms of institutionalization, the Pankowrior Daudk and model may prove to be exceptional, but there are insufficient data and analysis to clearly demonstrate which approach best helps the poor and which if either approach is sustainable in the long term. In semi-closed stocked beels managed according to a CBFM regime, the fishers have over time established appropriate stocking densities and developed empirically based effective stocking and harvesting management regimes. Account keeping has been maintained in all the water bodies, and fishers of some water bodies have made their own nursery ponds. However, planning has to be improved and should ensure timely stocking and the appropriate number of fingerlings. From the results to date of studies of stocking in semi-closed beel and baor (Oxbow lake) stocking, we may conclude that to maximize profits, villagers should maintain stocking density with 3,500 fingerlings (of approximately9 cm) ha21year21. However, further research is needed to determine why the approach is more successful at semi-closed sites than in floodplain aquaculture systems.

Knowledge Management: Journal