The 710 km of Bangladesh’s coastline is home to one of the most plentiful fishing grounds in Asia. The marine life is diverse here and fisheries have helped secure enough food and supported the country’s economy.

Today, with the climate crisis growing and marine habitats more at risk, people are focusing on a major concern:

How will sustainable marine fishing develop in Bangladesh in the future?

The Bay of Bengal is under a lot of stress, partly because it is being overused and also due to climate problems. Within 10 years, decisions will shape whether we protect the ocean or harm it further.

In this article, we discuss the challenges that need to be overcome, the opportunities yet to be explored and a pathway for Bangladesh to become a leader in sustainable marine fisheries.

Why Marine Fishing Matters in Bangladesh?

While rivers play a big role in the country, our seafood is mainly tied to the Bay of Bengal. Marine fishing goes beyond being a job near the coast in Bangladesh. It boosts nutrition, creates jobs and increases the amount of money brought in by exports.               

1. Rural Employment and Coastal Livelihoods

o More than 500 000 fishers use 68 000+ mechanised boats and trawlers, yet that’s just one side of the story. Adding to this, marine value chain jobs for deck hands, net makers, boatbuilders, ice plant workers, traders and processors helps employ 2.5–2.8 million people.

In numerous chars and island communities, fishing and the fish trade are responsible for 70 % of the total cash income of each household. More and more women are becoming involved—according to the UN FAO, one in five people working in shrimp grading and drying operations are women.

2. Foreign Exchange Earner

Marine products such as frozen shrimp, cephalopods and finfish, generated $566 million in FY 2023, accounting for around 9 % of the total agri export revenue. Any extra tonne that meets sustainability and traceability standards has a chance to fetch higher prices in the EU, U.S. and Japan.

3. Food Security Shock Absorber

Should inland ponds flood or paddy fields dry out, the rise in marine landings ensures people get enough protein. Farming in Egypt continuously provides enough food for 170 million people who live in a region at great risk of climate change.

Yet this lifeline is fraying. Key species are showing a decrease in biomass, climate change is making their migration routes different and almost one in four catches is lost after the fish are caught. If fish supplies continues to decrease, it could become too expensive for low income families, leading to less good nutrition and job losses for people living near the sea.

4. A key element of the National Plate

Roughly 20% of Canada’s fish production relates to marine species, providing people with almost 820 000 tonnes of edible protein every year.

60 percent of animal protein in Bangladesh is provided by fish. Cox’s Bazar and Patuakhali, both coastal areas, experience water rise of more than 75 %.

Hilsa, tuna, ribbonfish and Bombay duck are traditional dishes that feature in celebrations across Bangladesh.

All in all, looking after marine fisheries is not only important for nature but also for the economy, culture and public health. How things are managed in the next five years could determine if the Bay of Bengal still has food to offer or if all its resources are gone.

The Top Obstacles to Sustainable Marine Fishing in Bangladesh

1. Overfishing & Depleting Stocks

Using mechanized vessels without rules has made it difficult for these species to be managed properly.

As per the Department of Fisheries (DoF), over sixty percent of marine fishing vessels operate without scientific limits on catches.

Illegal, Unreported, Unregulated (IUU) catch is another major threat to the ocean.

• Nearly half of the industrial trawlers operating in the fishing industry do not have a valid license.
  • Hilsa biomass slipped 28 % between 2014 2023.

2. Climate Change Impact

Due to increasing sea temperatures, acidic oceans and unusual weather, fish movement and breeding times are changing which makes it hard to predict fishing results. Since 1990, Bay surface temperatures have been increasing by 0.19 °C every decade, causing migratory fish like Indian mackerel to move farther south during peak seasons.

3. Bycatch & Destructive Fishing Practices

Taking juvenile fish and using high-quality nets and bottom trawling have negatively affected many species in the oceans. Bottom trawling makes up almost one-third of fishing activities but collects less than one-sixth of the total revenue, while also harming coral in the process.

4. A lack of necessary infrastructure & insufficient cold chain facilities

Since there is no proper place to store or process seafood, more than 25% of catches are wasted which affects both fishers and seafood exports. Only 12 of the 122 coastal landing centers currently operate ice plants. Some of the businesses transport block ice from Khulna or Chittagong which costs 6 8 tk/kg.

5. Weak Policy Enforcement

Even with the Marine Fisheries Ordinance and National Fisheries Policy, it is still difficult to enforce laws at sea because of insufficient manpower, patrol boats and monitoring tools.

The Marine Fisheries Act requires a 65-day peak season ban, but in the 2024 peak, foreign vessels reportedly committed 173 unauthorized incursions. The revenue lost by local fishers is estimated to be around ৳2.1 bn.

Chances to Build a Solid Foundation for Tomorrow

Even with the hardships, Bangladesh is on the verge of change. Here’s how:

1. Adoption of Ecosystem-Based Management (EBM)

• Using ecology to guide fisheries rather than focusing only on how many species are caught.
  • Improving the health of oceans and maintaining a balanced diversity among living things.

2. Strengthening Marine Protected Areas (MPAs)

• Increasing the size of no-fishing areas during the times when fish are spawning.
  • Keeping coral beds, mangroves and nursery grounds safe so fish can be restocked by nature.

As of now, territorial waters are covered by MPAs to the tune of 3.4 %. global best practice is ≥ 10 %. The World Bank suggests that if scaling reaches 10%, it could result in an additional US $190 m in annual fish landings by 2035.

3. Setting scientifically reviewed quotas

Such surveys can lead to specific limits for particular species.

• Strengthening the health of key species and permitting them to continue producing food.

The national stock assessment for 2023 has significantly transformed the process. For the first time, scientists have prepared biomass estimates for 65 commercial species. The use of dynamic quotas could result in a 22 % drop in effort and lead to higher long-term landings by 14 %.

4. Sustainable Fishing Gear & Techniques

• Encouraging the use of circle hooks, nets with large mesh and escape panels.
  • Teaching fishers how to choose the right fish so as to avoid catching others unintentionally.

Within six months, using fine mesh nets instead of 50 mm square cod ends reduced juvenile mortality and increased fishers’ income by 11 %.

5. Community-Based Co-Management

• Supporting community-based fisher groups in the planning and care of local water bodies.
  • Supporting the idea that those using the ocean should take care of it.

6. Blue Economy Integration

Expanding the Blue Economy can lead to more success in marine fisheries.

• Providing employment opportunities in marine aquaculture, tourism, seaweed farming and offshore fish farming.

The Road Ahead: What Needs to Be Done

For Bangladesh’s fisheries to be successful in the future, we need an overall strategy that deals with economic, environmental and social concerns.

1. Replace old marine policies with new ones that are made for climate change resilience.
2. Collect catch information in real time with the help of digital tools.
3. Support the construction of new marine infrastructure and encourage more research in this area.
4. Increase the variety of education and preparation for young people and fishers.
5. Cooperate with other countries in the Bay of Bengal on resources shared by all.

The process of sustainable marine fishing in Bangladesh has its own set of problems. However, if smart decisions, strong communities, and a drive for innovation are made, the benefits will be enormous.

We should ensure that our seas are rich in life, not only for our time but also for the future.

Farhana Islam
Agriculturist, Researcher
Fisheries Resource Management, CVASU

The post The future of sustainable marine fishing in Bangladesh: challenges & opportunities appeared first on Seafood Network BD.

The campaign, which began in January 2024, targets the long-overlooked issue of plastic and polythene waste disposal by commercial fishing trawlers. Working initially with 250 mechanized trawlers, the department has begun installing onboard waste bins to collect and return non-biodegradable waste to shore. Each trawler, carrying 30 to 50 crew members on voyages lasting up to a month, previously discarded plastic packaging and supplies directly into the ocean.

Md Faruk Hossain Sagar, Assistant Director (Ocean) at the DoMF Chattogram office, said the initiative stemmed from an awareness campaign that launched in December 2024, targeting trawler owners, captains, and fishing associations.

“Fishermen often carried food and essentials wrapped in plastic, which was casually thrown into the sea,” he explained. “Now, we’ve introduced a system to collect that waste on board and bring it back to shore for proper disposal.”

The collected waste is transferred to Chattogram City Corporation for designated dumping, potentially preventing 20 to 25 metric tons of plastic from polluting the Bay annually.

Director of the Marine Fisheries Department in Chattogram, Md Abdus Sattar, stressed the urgent need for action. “Plastic and torn fishing nets cause ghost fishing and destroy marine habitats. This effort must become a collective social movement,” he said.

The Bangladesh Marine Fisheries Association has extended its support to the initiative, encouraging fleet-wide adoption of sustainable waste management.

The DoMF has its sights set on broader coverage. With over 30,000 mechanized vessels operating in the Bay of Bengal, the department plans to gradually bring them all under the initiative, promoting sustainable fishing and reducing ocean pollution.

Experts have underscored the health risks linked to marine pollution. Dr Zahidul Islam of the Khulna Diabetic Association warned that fish contaminated with microplastics could severely impact human health. “What enters the ocean enters our bodies through the food chain,” he noted.

This initiative signals a significant shift in marine waste management for Bangladesh and could serve as a model for other coastal nations grappling with the devastating impact of ocean plastic on both ecosystem and public health.

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The proposed committee would bring together key agencies, including the Department of Fisheries (DoF), Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute (BFRI), the Coast Guard, the Naval Police, and the Navy. The collaborative effort is designed to strengthen Bangladesh maritime territory security and safeguard the nation’s marine resources.

Strengthening Cross-Border Communication

Fisheries and Livestock Adviser Farida Akhter stressed the importance of proactive dialogue with Indian authorities to address these intrusions effectively. She highlighted the necessity for accurate identification of fish breeding periods and scientifically scheduling fishing closures to conserve marine stocks.

“Hilsa is a divine gift and a natural resource of Bangladesh,” Akhter remarked, emphasizing collective efforts to ensure the growth of hilsa populations by protecting them during spawning seasons.

Key Measures for Conservation

The workshop titled “Rescheduling the Fishing Closure Period in the Bay of Bengal“ served as a platform to discuss challenges and propose strategies for sustainable fishing. Akhter called for intensified research by the BFRI and urged the agency to share findings with the public.

She also pointed out the ineffectiveness of fishing bans without addressing the issue of illegal nets, advocating for stricter actions against net manufacturers in Munshiganj. The Ministry of Industries was urged to revoke the licenses of these illegal producers, complementing ongoing crackdowns.

Building International Recognition

BFRI Director General Dr. Anuradha Bhadra emphasized the importance of obtaining international acknowledgment for Bangladesh’s fishing bans, highlighting it as a critical step toward marine conservation. Meanwhile, BFDC Chairman Suraiya Akhtar Jahan reiterated the need to protect breeding cycles, such as those of mother hilsa and baby jatka, to ensure the growth of fish stocks.

The Road Ahead

The proposed rapid-response body is expected to play a pivotal role in securing Bangladesh’s maritime sovereignty and fostering sustainable resource management. Enhancing the capacity of trawler-based fishermen and aligning conservation efforts with global standards will be crucial steps forward.

This initiative signifies Bangladesh’s commitment to addressing the challenges of maritime security while balancing the needs of fishermen and marine ecosystem conservation.

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The Marine Fisheries Association states that Bangladesh’s economic zone in the Bay of Bengal is around 119 thousand square kilometers or almost the same as the country’s land area ( which is roughly around 148,000 square kilometers). But beyond the study’s scope, the majority of the marine area remains undiscovered.

Currently, fish are caught in four deep water regions: South Patches, South of South Patches, Middle Ground, and Swatch of No Ground. The distance between the shoreline and these offshore locations is around 100 km. It takes around 18 hours to get to these locations from the coastal zone.

According to a study, Bangladesh’s fishing zone is confined to 40-60 meters of depth due to a lack of proper fishing gear and smaller fishing vessels.

In the fiscal year 2020–21, around 231 of the 262 industrial fishing trawlers were in operation, according to the Fisheries Department Annual Report 2020–21. In addition to this, traditional fishing in the Bay of Bengal was carried out by 67,669 artisanal and automated boats.

Mechanized boats transporting ice cubes frequently fish at a contour depth of 40 meters for seven to nine days.

The industrial trawlers however can go a little bit deeper than that, but not as deep to catch open ocean high-value fishes(pelagic tuna/Scombridae, mackerel, Indian salmon/Polynemidae, etc. Despite being available in deeper waters, these species are therefore, rarely seen in Bangladeshi fish catches.

So, why can’t Bangladesh engage in deep-sea fishing?

Deep-sea fishing necessitates a larger initial expenditure as well as periodic costs. Hence, deep-sea fishing is often more costly than coastal trawling. 

The increasing expense of fishing, along with scattered and overlapping resources, inhibits fishermen from participating in this activity. 

According to Nurul Qayyum Khan, president of the Bangladesh Marine Fisheries Association, despite the government’s permission for private companies to harvest tuna fish in two phases, no firms have applied as a result of a lack of understanding.

A large portion of the deep water remains undiscovered simply because of a lack of sophisticated ships, he claimed.

However, the Department of Fisheries aims to acquire two ships from China for BDT 240 million. It intends to catch tuna with a longline. This experimental endeavor will continue with a crew of 30.

The project was originally scheduled to run from July 2020 to December 2023, however, it was recently extended to June 2025, an additional 18 months.

According to the Department of Fisheries, the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission regulates tuna fishing in the region. Bangladesh joined the commission on April 24, 2018, as one of its 30 member countries. India, the Maldives, Indonesia, Pakistan, and other nations bordering Bangladesh capture tuna on a regular basis in both domestic and international waters.

In order to capture tuna and other deep-sea pelagic species from the Bay of Bengal, it is necessary to venture into the deep waters in close proximity to Bangladesh’s exclusive economic zone.

In this situation, the government has to swiftly implement new financial initiatives to encourage private companies to take on the challenges of deep-sea fishing.

Jaber Bin Abdul Bari
Department of Oceanography, NSTU

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The aim of prohibiting fishing during the primary reproductive season of marine fish is to boost fish stocks by ensuring undisturbed breeding. Government officials have claimed that fish production has increased significantly due to the ban. However, the fish production data support the government officials’ claim.

For example, just 2,90,000 tonnes of hilsa were produced in the nation during the 2007–2008 fiscal year. In 2018–19, it rose to 5,17,000 tonnes, and in 2019–20, it climbed to 5,33,000 tonnes. In other words, over the past 11 years, the nation’s hilsa output has climbed by around 84%. Only three years ago, Bangladesh accounted for 65% of the world’s total hilsa catches. Since the previous year, the percentage has increased to 85%.

Despite this extraordinary achievement, traders and fishers of the fishing community have voiced their outrage at the year-round fishing ban. Because the decision is a devastating blow for fishery communities, the majority of whom rely on fisheries for their daily sustenance. Even though the government promises to provide affected fishermen with monthly rations, the fishermen are expressing their dissatisfaction and the difficulties that they will face over the next two months.

The lengthy ban, however, worried some of the country’s fishermen in Kuakata, Cox’s Bazar, and other fishing zones. After suffering a week of inactivity due to Cyclone Mocha, they claimed that the ban would exacerbate their financial condition.

Fishermen claimed that they experience 147 days of bans annually, at various times. Mother Hilsa Conservation was prohibited for 22 days in October. Hilsa Sanctuary was prohibited for 60 days in March-April. And the most recent ban was from May 20 to July 23 of 2023.

Moreover, many fishermen have reported illegal intrusion of fishermen from neighboring countries during the ban period.

“During the blockade on Bangladeshi marine waters, fishermen from neighboring countries enter and breach our marine borders without any barriers and steal our fishing wealth,” said Rahman Majhi, a member of the Alipur fishing community in the Kalapara upazila.

He demanded that the government should take prompt steps to stop this illegal fishing activity.

Nur Islam Majhi from Chittagong stated, “There will always be those who cross borders in hopes of finding more fish in the sea.” As the captain of an artisanal gill netter, he possesses over twenty years of fishing expertise and has encountered numerous foreign vessels south of the Bangladeshi port of Mongla.

Anwar Hossain Sikder, a member secretary of the Bangladesh Fishing Boat Owners Association (BFBOA), stated that the 200-nautical-mile fishing ban only benefits Indian and Myanmar fishermen and traders.

However, the statistics support their complaints too.

In the past years, the Bangladeshi coast guard detained over 519 Indian fishermen and impounded 32 vessels off the coast of Patuakhali, which is more than 125 kilometers within Bangladesh’s EEZ.

Moreover, about 1,000 Indian fishermen were imprisoned for months before being released in recent years, according to Bangladesh coast guard statistics. During the prohibition period, this number increases significantly.

Additionally, this ban has worsened the situation of poor fishermen, particularly day laborers.

Fazlu Gazi, president of the Mahipur Fish Storage Cooperative Society, stated, “We have demanded this ban to be reevaluated from the very outset. What will the fishermen eat if they are unable to catch fish in the ocean?”

According to the BFBOA, a large number of small-scale fishermen are day laborers whose families will starve if the government does not provide compensation.

However, the government has taken exemplary measures for disadvantaged fishermen. During the 65-day fishing ban in the Bay, the government distributed 16,752 metric tons of rice through the Vulnerable Group Feeding (VGF) program to support the families of 2,991,135 listed fishermen in 67 upazilas of 14 districts and Chattogram city. This VGF crop was allocated by the Department of Fisheries and Livestock.

This year, 3,111,062 fishing community members from 14 coastal districts have been registered for government assistance. During the ban period, a fishing community member will receive a total of 86 kilograms of rice.

Out of the 14 districts, local fisheries officials reported that over 49,000 members of the fishing community had been documented in the Patuakhali region and 27, 277 in the Barguna area.

But some fishermen, have also expressed objection to this approach as well.

Golam Mostafa Chowdhury, head of the Fishermen’s Trawler Owners’ Association, estimated that 1,50,000 people lived near the Barguna coast and worked as fishermen, but only 27, 277 persons were on the government’s list.

Senior upazila fisheries official Apu Saha of Patuakhali’s Kalapara upazila stated that the higher authorities will be informed of the demands of the local fishermen.

It also needs to be realized that these poor families, whose only source of income is the sea, have no additional sources of support. And when their fishing rights are revoked, they are left in a state of absolute helplessness. 

Although the government provides aid to fishermen, due to poor management, the majority of fisherman’s families are unable to get it. The fishermen additionally voiced their reluctance to accept rationed rice as they believe it is unjustifiable for the government to take away their sole source of income.

Even though many experts believe the “ban” is a wise decision but efforts should be made to provide alternative employment opportunities for affected fishermen.

Therefore, the government must provide alternative sources of income for fishermen so they can support their families even though they cannot catch fish.

In addition, to prevent intrusion by Indian fishermen, the duration of the prohibition must be determined by correlating it to that of neighboring nations.

In addition, plenty of fishermen fail to get relief because fake fishermen were issued identification cards. Therefore, only actual fishermen must be issued with fishing cards.

Some specialists believe that vocational education programs for children can provide alternative income and employment opportunities for fishermen.

However, for protecting community rights as well as conserving the fisheries resource the government must act quickly to solve the burning problems.

Jaber Bin Abdul Bari
Department of Oceanography, NSTU

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