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Assessment of Gear Efficiency for Harvesting Artisanal Giant Freshwater Prawn (macrobrachium Rosenbergii De Man) Fisheries from the Sundarbans Mangrove Ecosystem in Bangladesh

Biplab Kumar Shaha
Fisheries and Marine Resource Technology Discipline, Khulna University, Bangladesh

Md. Mahmudul Alam*
Doctoral Student
Institute for Environment and Development (LESTARI), National University of Malaysia (UKM), Malaysi

H. M. Rakibul Islam
Scientific Officer
Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute, Shrimp Research Station, Bagerhat, Bangladesh

Lubna Alam
Research Fellow, Institute for Environment and Development (LESTARI), National University of Malaysia (UKM), Malaysia

Alokesh Kumar Ghosh
Assistant Professor
Fisheries and Marine Resource Technology Discipline, Khulna University, Bangladesh

Khan Kamal Uddin Ahmed
Chief Scientific Officer
Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute. Shrimp Research Station, Bagerhat, Bangladesh

Mazlin Mokhtar
Professor
Institute for Environment and Development (LESTARI), National University of Malaysia (UKM), Malaysia

Abstract/ Executive Summary:

The Sundarnbans mangrove forest has been an immense source of aquatic resources from time immemorial. Among the resources, harvesting of Giant Freshwater Prawn plays an important role in the economy of the country, therefore, this investigation was carried out to assess the Gear Efficiency for Harvesting Artisanal Giant Freshwater Prawn Fisheries from the Sundarbans Mangrove Ecosystem in Bangladesh. Four types of non-mechanized crafts made of fourteen types of wood were found in harvesting Giant Freshwater Prawn. Crafts were varied from 6.25±0.35 to 8.2±0.71 m in length, 1.1±0.14 to 1.75±0.36 m in breadth and 0.65±1.07 to 1.55±3.16 m in depth with a carrying capacity of 0.40 - 1.00 MT with an economic life of 10±2.11 years. A total of eight types of gears, namely, Hookline, Behundijal, Badhajal, Charpata, Chandijal, Gillnet, Kathijal and KhalPata were found in Giant Freshwater Prawn fishing. Among them the Hookline was the only main primary active Giant Freshwater Prawn fishing gear while the rest of the seven gears were multi-species gears that harvest Giant Freshwater Prawn as a by-catch. Only 13.6% of 1,989 fishers were found to use Hookline; the rest, 86.4% of fishers used the seven other gears. They only harvest 3.24% Giant Freshwater Prawn as a bycatch. The highest daily harvest volume per boat (kg day-1 boat-1) was 1.00±0.96 for the Kathijal followed by 0.99±0.27 for the Badhajal and 0.99±0.42 for the Hookline. The highest annual catch per boat (kg boat-1 yr-1 ) which was 172.80±0.29 was recorded for the Hookline followed by 172.24±0.54 for the Chandijal and the lowest (152.08±0.21) for the Khalpata. Total annual catch by all the eight gears surveyed was estimated at 1318.60±0.37 kg from 1,428 unit gears, 545 individual boats and 1,989 individual fishers. Based on the above scenario, Hookline showed the best performance among the 8 gears used for Giant Freshwater Prawn harvesting in the Sundarbans by the small-scale artisanal fishery. It is believed that the findings and the recommendations of this study will be helpful to policy makers in improving the current status of Giant Freshwater Prawn fishery and relevant livelihood as well as conserving the SME ecosystem.

Keywords: Artisanal fisheries; Macrobrachium rosenbergii; Sundarbans Mangrove Ecosystem; Fishing Gear

Location: Sundarbans Mangrove Ecosystem in Bangladesh

Start Date:

End Date:

Program Area: Socio-economic and Policy

Commodity: Prawn

Objectives:

The present study, therefore, was aimed at assessing the overall economic perspective of Giant Freshwater Prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii) fishery from the Sundarbans mangrove ecosystem of Bangladesh.

Methodology:

This study was conducted through several field surveys in the SME waters covering three administrative ranges. The SME is located between longitudes 89°00’ E and 89°55’ E and latitudes 21°30’ N and 22°30’ N at the south-west of Bangladesh, encompassing the mouth of the 6 estuaries, and numerous rivers, canals and creeks. The study was conducted through 24 individual surveys in the SME of Bangladesh covering 16 river/canals and 32 locations (one-third area) of the Sundarbans along the Mongla-Passure-Dubla area within Sharankhola, Chandpai and Khulna ranges between January and December 2006 at a fortnightly interval (Table 1). The data were collected by direct interviews of randomly selected 1,989 fishermen from 545 non-mechanized boats and 1,428 active gears from eight types of gear. The data were analyzed through descriptive statistics (mean, range, standard deviation) by using the SPSS software. The seasonal and spatial variation in the catch was estimated by using the one-way ANOVA. The relationships between the variables were measured by using the Pearson’s correlation and regression. To draw inference, 95% confidence interval was used in the analysis.

Source of Information: Research Journal of Fisheries and Hydrobiology, 9(2): 1126-1139.

Article Link (Online Journal):

Funding Source:

1.

Budget:

Total Budget (Tk.) :

Achievement/Findings:

The study conducted to focus the efficiency of gears for harvesting small-scale artisanal Giant Freshwater Prawn fishery in the SME of Bangladesh. Four types of non-mechanized crafts and eight types of gears used for harvesting Giant Freshwater Prawn. The Hookline has been found as the single primary active gear for Giant Freshwater Prawn fishing. The rest of the other gears are multi-species and harvests Giant Freshwater Prawn as a by-catch. Only 13.60% of fishers use Hookline, rest of the 86.4% fishers use the seven other gears and 3.24% of their total catch is Giant Freshwater Prawn harvested as a by-catch. The highest daily harvest volume per boat (kg day-1 boat-1) is 1.00±0.96 for Kathijal, followed by 0.99±0.27 kg for the Badhajal and 0.99±0.42 kg for the Hookline. The highest annual catch per boat (kg boat-1 yr-1) was 172.80±0.29 kg for the Hookline followed by 172.24±0.54 kg for the Chandijal and it was the lowest, 152.08±0.21, for the Khalpata.

The Department of Forest is the legal authority in the management of aquatic resources inside the waters of the SME of Bangladesh. The authority should care about the sustainable management of small-scale fisheries to ensure a sustainable growth rate of Giant Freshwater Prawn, and protect over exploitation. At the same time, the authority must care about the inefficient method of fishing that harms other species, such as the set bagnet where the fishers catch a considerable volume of juveniles and sub-adults of numerous shrimps and fish species as a by-catch. Some fishers used long gill and seine nets of 1.5-2.5 cm mesh during November–April, and made severe damage to migratory juvenile Jatka (Hilsha) throughout the Sundarbans. On the other hand, shore seine and canal gillnet fisheries in the inshore area block long areas of the shore and the mouths of small canals. These gears are capable of catching virtually all fishes (juvenile/adults). The set magnet and pull and push nets for shrimp postlarvae in the inshore area, rivers and canals, also catch enormous numbers of eggs, larvae and fry of many fishes, shrimps, prawn, crabs, and mollusks. Sharks, sawfish and stingrays are also caught by a number of gears. Therefore, to achieve sustainable management of the Giant Freshwater Prawn fishery and conserving the habitat and flora and fauna in SME, the forest department needs to take proper initiatives and should focus mostly on the Hookline gear usage for harvesting and increase awareness among fishers to not harm other species.

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