The ban, which began on April 15 and will continue until June 12, is intended to allow marine fish stocks to regenerate. But with no alternative income sources, many fishermen are struggling to survive.

According to the government’s relief plan, each affected fisherman is supposed to receive 86 kg of rice, split into two phases: 56 kg in the first phase and 30 kg in the second. However, as of May 14, the rice has yet to reach the majority of the fishermen in Cox’s Bazar, Teknaf, Kutubdia, Maheshkhali, Chakaria, and Pekua upazilas.

“We are barely surviving. Some families are going half-fed or completely without food,” said Rahim Uddin, a fisherman from Kutubjum Union, Maheshkhali.

The crisis is worse in Teknaf, where at least 12,000 fishermen families haven’t received their food aid. The situation is also grim in Maheshkhali, where out of 28,000 fishermen, 15,832 are registered but none have received their share of rice yet.

Md Badruzzaman, Cox’s Bazar District Fisheries Officer, confirmed the delay. “The government rice has not arrived yet. Once we receive it, we’ll start immediate distribution.”

Multiple Challenges Compound the Crisis

Aside from the seasonal ban, fishermen have faced months of hardship due to natural disasters, rough seas, and growing threats from the Myanmar-based Arakan Army. Over 200 Bangladeshi fishermen have been kidnapped in recent months, including 23 just days before the fishing ban began.

Md Abul Kalam, General Secretary of the Teknaf Fishing Boat Owners’ Association, stated, “Many fishermen live in fear. Even before the ban, they couldn’t fish safely due to kidnapping threats.”

Trawler owners like Abdul Amin of Shahparir Dwip, and union representatives such as Abdul Mannan, say the lack of food aid has left entire communities desperate. “These families rely solely on fishing. No income means no food.”

A Call for Urgent Action

There are more than 128,000 fishermen working on approximately 6,000 small and large trawlers in Cox’s Bazar district, according to the local fishing boat owners’ association. 90% of them had already been struggling before the ban due to weather-related disruptions and hostile conditions at sea.

With no aid yet delivered, their situation grows more desperate by the day.

As Bangladesh works to protect marine resources through temporary bans, stakeholders are urging the government to ensure timely delivery of promised aid to help these communities survive the fishing off-season.

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Turtles are regarded as ecosystem engineers due to their environmental significance. Turtles not only preserve their own living habitat by natural or behavioral engineering, but they also provide a favorable environment for other creatures.

Furthermore, sea turtles are valued as an important component of a healthy ocean.

While they spend the bulk of their life at sea, they have a distinctive nesting habit known as Arribada during the mating season. This word, which means “arrival by sea” in Spanish, refers to a phenomenon in which hundreds of mother turtles return to their nesting beaches to lay eggs.

However, the growing expansion of human activity on nesting beaches, as well as the deterioration of the maritime environment, have increased the threats these turtles confront, jeopardizing their existence and that of the entire marine ecosystem.

The situation is no different in Bangladesh. Olive Ridley turtles, which were formerly common sight on the country’s coastal beaches, are becoming increasingly rare.

The grimness of the situation became apparent in the first two months of 2024.

95 dead Olive Ridley turtles were found strewn across different parts of the beach by researchers from the Bangladesh Oceanographic Research Institute (BORI) between January and February 27.

In various areas of the shoreline, since February 25, ten turtles have been discovered dead. These include two at Bailyakhali Beach and Motherbunia, and one each at Daryanagar Parasailing Point, Royal Tulip Beach, Baradailpara, and Hazampara Teknaf Beach. Two days earlier, on February 23, 24 more dead turtles were found.

But why are so many turtles dying on the coast of Cox’s Bazar?

“The only possibility is that fishing activities drown the turtles in their nets, where they get suffocated and die,” said Dr. Saif Mohammed Al Ghais, General Director, Environment Protection & Development Authority, Government of Ras Al Khaimah, UAE.

Preliminary evaluations also demonstrate that the Olive Ridley turtles died as a result of entrapment in leftover fishing nets, sometimes known as ghost nets. Many turtles with injuries, such as those from ropes, sharp objects, and severed flippers, die at sea owing to their inability to swim.

A mother turtle weighing 30-35 kg typically lays around 110 eggs. During the initial investigation, eggs were discovered in the stomachs of nearly all of the dead turtles. Most of them are thought to get wounded and die while traveling to the shore to lay their eggs.

Over the last 15 years, the dangerous environment has resulted in a considerable fall in the number of mother turtles making their way to the beach, resulting in a decrease in the number of eggs laid.

Tariqul Islam, a senior scientific officer at BORI, noted that the physical qualities of Olive Ridley sea turtles, notably the size of their flippers, usually keep them from becoming caught in the smaller fishing nets commonly employed along the coast.

He believes that larger gill nets, which are commonly employed by fishing trawlers, represent a greater threat to these turtles.

Many trawlers operate closer to the beach, frequently crossing their allocated fishing areas. This approach most likely results in the inadvertent capture of coastal turtles and other marine species in their nets.

Furthermore, fishing trawlers captured turtles since the majority of their fishing gear lacked turtle-excluding devices.

“Despite restrictions requiring these trawlers to operate inside authorized deep-sea zones, many wander closer to the coast, increasing the chance of unintentionally catching marine species, including turtles,” said Tariqul Islam.

Assistant Prof. Najmus Sakib Khan from the Department of Oceanography, Noakhali Science and Technology University, underscored the need for conservative measures to protect the turtles.

“The unplanned tourism industry is disrupting the nesting environment of sea turtles. To save sea turtles, it is necessary to identify their nesting sites and take conservation measures as soon as possible. Establishing a sea turtle research center is essential. There is a need to organize workshops on sea turtle conservation with local people and engage them directly in conservative measures. With these steps we can hope to increase our commitment to conserve these Mysterious Marine Navigators,” he said.

However, experts have expressed concern over the widespread mortality of turtles and have stated that more research is necessary. It is also vitally important to educate fishermen about the proper usage of ropes and fishing nets in the Bay.

Jaber Bin Abdul Bari
Department of Oceanography, NSTU

The post The peril of olive Ridley turtles in Cox’s Bazar appeared first on Seafood Network BD.

The blue blood of the Horseshoe crab is precious to the pharmaceutical and microbiological industries, which astounds zoologists. Owing to its therapeutic qualities, it has a high demand on the global market.

A gallon of Horseshoe crab’s blue blood costs sixty thousand US dollars. In addition to blue blood, it is used to make soup, which is highly beneficial due to its high level of beneficial properties. The upper hard shell yields a material known as “chitosin,” which is utilized for manufacturing a variety of goods.

The hatchery was established on a 40-acre oceanfront part of the land in the Rejukhal estuary by scientists from the Bangladesh Oceanographic Research Institute (Bori). The area is bordered by bamboo. 119 Horseshoe crabs total—71 male and 48 female—were first released by the hatchery after being collected from the shore.

Since August 2021, scientists from the Institute of Marine Research have been conducting research on Horseshoe crabs. Scientists believe that Horseshoe crab blue will make a big contribution to the economy.

“The research that Bori is doing on Horseshoe crabs is quite encouraging,” said the director general of the institute, Professor Dr Touhida Rasheed at Cox’s Bazar.

“The Horseshoe crab is going to have a significant economic impact. A hatchery has been built for this reason on the beach next to Bori in order to advance the scientific endeavors,” She added.

The former principal of India’s KN College of Basic Science, biological oceanographer, and Horseshoe crab expert, Dr. Govind Chand Biswal is under the technical supervision of this research program of Horseshoe crab. 

He said, “The hatchery is a good place to start research on horseshoe crab. The behaviors of the Horseshoe crab will be recognized through the research.”

Govind Chand Biswal said, “There are two types of Horseshoe crabs in Bangladesh. Among these, there is a large stock of ‘Carcinocarpius rotondocda‘ in the mangrove region of Maheshkhali. Thousands of Horseshoe crabs come here to lay their eggs every year during the breeding season. After that, the molecule hatches from that egg and goes to the sea after being nurtured in the natural environment.”

Tariqul Islam, Senior Scientific Officer of Bangladesh Marine Research Institute (BORI) said, “Horseshoe crabs are found mostly on sandy beaches. This hatchery is also conveniently located. 71 male and 48 female Horseshoe crabs collected from the sea coast have been released in this hatchery.”

However, experts are concerned since the number of Horseshoe crabs has been dropping annually.

Even just a few years ago, flocks of Horseshoe crab could be seen in tidal areas of various coastal areas including Cox’s Bazar. But the animal has disappeared from the vast coast.

It is alleged that a powerful syndicate has caught and smuggled Horseshoe crabs from various coastal areas of Bangladesh to various countries including Thailand. As a result, the animal is gradually disappearing.

However, even though the animal has disappeared from a wide area, Horseshoe crab is still struggling to survive in the mud-sandy areas surrounded by mangrove vegetation and various islands of Cox’s Bazar district. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the animal is on the red list in Bangladesh.

Therefore, prompt actions to preserve this species are required along with research on its economic potential.

Jaber Bin Abdul Bari
Department of Oceanography, NSTU

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In the broader Chattogram region, including Cox’s Bazar, the Mangrove Horseshoe crab (Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda) is commonly referred to as the “Raj kakra”. Although the species is commonly referred to as a crab, experts believe it is connected to an extinct type of sea scorpion.

Although numerous crab species are cultivated in artificial environments, the Horseshoe crab has yet to be farmed. But recently researchers from Kepley BioSystems, in North Carolina, claim to have created “the proper nutrition, an ideal environment, and the appropriate conditions” for growing wild-caught Horseshoe crabs.

“The Horseshoe crab proved to be an excellent option for growing, and it is now a farm animal that we have progressively learned how to handle. We now know a lot about how long it needs for crabs to survive in captivity: eating, growing, and being friendly to one another. We are also in the midst of identifying the best feed,” said the researchers.

Kepley scientists have been in charge of two independent horseshoe crab trials. One has concentrated on designing meals to promote the immunological health and ongoing support of the arthropods, while the other is investigating the most practical aquaculture system to culture these crabs.

However, for Bangladesh, the farming of horseshoe crabs seems very unrealistic. But with proper conservation techniques, this crab population can be regenerated.

“They are currently becoming extinct off the coast of Bangladesh. Unfortunately, Bangladesh does not have a sophisticated laboratory to maintain such crabs,” said Dr Manjurul Kibria. He also emphasized that the government must take the necessary precautions to conserve this crab.

The disappearance of horseshoe crab from Bangladesh can be attributed to 3 main reasons.

The first one is the negligence and lack of awareness of the fishermen. Every year, millions of horseshoe crabs die in Bihindi nets in the Nazirartek estuary, Maheshkhali channel, and Bankkhali river. This crab is frequently captured in coastal fishing nets and used as a lure for eel and conch shell fishing. This precious animal is also being killed in other areas of the country.

The second reason is the increased anthropogenic activity in the coastal area of Bangladesh. As urbanization and industrialization intensify, they degrade the water, and sediment quality thus affecting the habitat of the horseshoe crab.

The third reason is the most crucial, which is the illegal smuggling of the horseshoe crab.

Because the Horseshoe crab has great economic importance. These animals’ blood and organs are quite expensive on the global market because of amazing beneficial compounds. For this reason, Horseshoe crab crabs are a top target for smugglers due to the high cost of their blood.

The milky-blue blood of the horseshoe crab contains a coagulation agent called Limulus Amebocyte Lysate (LAL), which identifies endotoxin in pharmaceutical samples. Even tiny amounts of endotoxin in injections or injectable medications can have harmful effects. This invaluable asset (LAL) is derived from the blue blood of the horseshoe crab and is employed to test vaccines, medicines, and medical devices for bacterial contamination. One litter of Horseshoe crab blood’s current market price is about $16000, evidently shows the value of it for the research labs.

A powerful international smuggling organization has been active in smuggling horseshoe crabs from Bangladesh’s coastal regions to multiple countries, including Thailand. There are certified and experienced technicians among the gangs. In addition to other goods, they reportedly smuggled horseshoe crabs and their blue blood via maritime routes.
According to a source at the Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute, a few fish factories officials had been associated with the crime.

Blood is extracted from horseshoe crabs captured in the Bay of Bengal via a sophisticated technique in laboratories once they have been transported to shore. After that by speedboat or trawler, the blue blood is shipped to fishing vessels. As well as the legs of horseshoe crabs, these are loaded onto cargo ships destined for Thailand from fishing trawlers.

In addition to maritime routes, the blood is also transported alongside fish and other goods.

According to a source from the fisheries institute, the government lacks the required technical knowledge to detect blood smuggling.

Sadly, the population of horseshoe crabs is decreasing rapidly, and swarms of them are no longer found in the estuary, rivers, and canals on Bangladesh’s various shorelines. Although Bangladesh hasn’t even begun extracting the blue blood yet, this species has already become endangered.

Therefore, if proper steps are not taken promptly then it is plausible that the Horseshoe crab will be extinct from the country very soon.

Jaber Bin Abdul Bari
Department of Oceanography, NSTU

The post Horseshoe crab conservation requires prompt action in Bangladesh appeared first on Seafood Network BD.

According to the stakeholders, people in Chattogram, Feni, Comilla, Brahamanbaria, Dhaka, Sylhet, Kishorganj, Sayedpur, Rangpur and Munshiganj districts are the main consumers of dry fish in the country. Khulna and Rajshahi have less consumers of dry fish.

Asadganj in Chittagong, country’s largest wholesale market. There are 50 warehouses, 250 wholesale merchants, 50 retails merchants and 10 exporters. In total, 3,000 permanent people are constantly engaged in the trade of dry fish here.

A businessman from Asadganj, Dipul Kanti said, “dry fish consumption is getting popular among locals and its even now popular in the Europe, US and across the Middle East.”

He also added, fishermen these days do not use any harmful  chemicals as preservatives because the number of cold storage have increased. So, dry fish makers are getting fresh fish for them.

The Department of Fisheries in Cox’s Bazar says it has adopted new and hygienic methods of drying and preserving fish, thereby contributing to its growing popularity in local and abroad.

Cox’s Bazar district fisheries officer said,  “If fishermen preserve dry fish by adopting the new methods and without using harmful chemicals, the taste of fish would remain intact. This is making dry fish more popular among all classes of people”.

“After removing fish intestines, fishermen are now mixing turmeric and pepper. It is very organic, hygienic and keeps the quality of dry fish unchanged. Moreover, these natural preservatives keep insects away. We keep a close eye on the whole process to ensure that no harmful chemical is added,” he said.

According to the Asadgonj Dry Fish Merchant Association (ADFMA), local production is unable to meet the growing domestic and international demand for dry fish. To fill the gap, dry fish is being imported from India, Myanmar and Pakistan. About 60% of the demand is being fulfilled from imports, while only 40% is met by local production.

There are 30 to 35 varieties of dried fish in the market. The most popular are Chinese pomfret (Rupchanda), Indian salmon (Lakkha), Ribbon fish (Chhuri), Bombay duck (Loitta) and shrimp. At the same time, to meet the local demand, Bangladesh has to import Ribbon fish, Bombay duck, Pabda, and Corica (Kachki) from India; Chinese pomfret and ribbon fish from Pakistan; and Corica and Ribbon fish from Myanmar. Of the imported dried fish, which accounts for 60% of the supplies, 70% comes from India, while 30 per cent is from Pakistan and Myanmar.

Now, the best quality dried fish are being exported to the UK, the US, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the UAE because of its high demand among Bangladeshi expatriates in those countries. For exporting dry fish, about 100 large and small dry fish export processing units have been set up in fish-processing areas, particularly the coastal areas and islands like Rangabali, Sonadia, Kutubdia, Talpatti, St Martin’s, Teknaf, Banshkhali, Anwara, Moheshkhali and Cox’s Bazar.

$7 million worth of dry fish has been exported in the fiscal year of 2021-2022.

EPB (Export Promotion Bureau)

Businessmen, however, expressed their concern over the future prospect of the dry fish business. The county’s dry fish production is falling and fishermen are changing their profession due to the long ban on fishing imposed to help proper spawning.

“The government said this ban was for spawning. But fishermen led a miserable hand-to-mouth existence during that period,” said Jamal Hossain, a dry fish sector stakeholder.

“Pollution and climate change are contaminating the sea water. Consequently, the
production of fish is falling,” he added.

He also said that foreign vessels discharged wastes at sea within Bangladesh territory owing to lax vigilance. Moreover, fishing trawlers of neighboring countries enter Bangladesh’s territorial waters to catch fish, he noted.

“Fish production would increase if the government prevented these two things and there
would be no need to import. Moreover, we will be able to export more dry fish,” he said.

He also blamed the process of catching shrimp fries for the destruction of thousands of fish. He said that in order to collect shrimp fries, the collectors are killing million fries of different species. This practice should be banned in the coastal areas.

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Seaweed is abundant in coastal areas. Wild seaweed production decreased due to excessive harvesting and unpredictable weather in the past years.  This is why globally cultivated seaweed production is on the rise. And it has grown to a significant proportion that the number is around 50% by the last decade.
The Rising popularity of seaweed consumption indicates this industry has a huge market in the global arena which is currently estimated to be 10 to 12 million tones (frozen weight) annually.

Considering the rising popularity of seaweed, the cultivation of this sea plant is expected to continue to grow, indicating it could become important in stabilising food security. The global commercial seaweed market has been forecasted by the experts to increase to $24.92 billion in 2028 from its 2021 value of $15.01 billion.

Seaweed in Bangladesh:

Experimental cultivation of two species of seaweed first began at Saint Martin’s Island in 2010. Since 2016, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) has been cultivating seaweed in the coastal areas of Cox’s Bazar.

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