She made these remarks this morning while speaking as the chief guest at the opening session of the 10th Biennial Fisheries Conference, organised by the Bangladesh Fisheries Research Forum (BFRF) at the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC) auditorium.

The adviser said that fish is not just food to fill the stomach; it is a very important source of nutrition. Fish provides essential micronutrients, calcium, and other nutrients that help in the development of eyesight, bones, and intelligence. She added that fish-based food habits have played a major role in the intellectual development of the Bengali people.

Speaking about marine fisheries resources, she said Bangladesh has not yet fully used its potential. At present, only about 30 percent of these resources are being used, and even within this limited use, there are many problems. She explained that artisanal trawlers and industrial trawlers follow different fishing methods, and some technologies used by industrial trawlers have created new concerns. She said that going to sea seven times and catching fish only once is not acceptable, just as it is not right to use SONAR (Sound Navigation and Ranging) technology to catch all fish in a single trip.

The fisheries adviser said that it has recently been found that around 70 out of 223 industrial trawlers are using SONAR technology, which has increased the risk of overfishing in the sea. To address these problems, effective policies are urgently needed. She said the government has taken an important step by deciding to update the National Fisheries Policy. Some reforms have already been made to the Fisheries Act, but more changes are needed, which she wants to implement during her tenure. She expressed serious concern about harmful fishing gear, saying that old fishing gear is now being modified in ways that damage the environment and biodiversity. In some cases, fish are even being caught using electric shocks, which is completely unacceptable.

She also said there is discrimination in providing incentives to fishers. Compared to the support given to the agriculture sector, fishers do not receive fair incentives. During fishing ban periods, fishers often do not get the assistance they need, which sometimes forces them to break the rules unwillingly.

The adviser said that hilsa breeding and migration are being severely disrupted due to reduced river depth, pollution, and the combined effects of climate change. She stressed that hilsa is not just a fish but a national asset. Just like dolphin conservation, hilsa protection should be part of a global movement. She added that obstacles in hilsa migration routes have been identified, and requests have been made to the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) to carry out necessary dredging in coordination with relevant agencies.

At the conference, the keynote paper was presented by Dr Faruk-ul Islam, Country Representative of WorldFish Bangladesh. FAO Representative in Bangladesh (ad-interim) Dr Dia Sanou spoke as an honoured guest. Special guests included Director General of the Department of Fisheries Dr Md Abdur Rouf, Director General of the Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute Dr Anuradha Bhadra, and Group Adviser of ACI PLC Dr F. H. Ansari.

The session was chaired by BFRF President Dr Joarder Faruk Ahmed. The welcome speech was delivered by Secretary General Dr Md Monirul Islam, and the vote of thanks was given by Vice President Dr Md Khaled Kanak.

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The data indicates that worldwide output from both aquaculture and fisheries achieved a record-breaking milestone in 2022, reaching 223.3 million metric tonnes of animals and plants. Out of the total, 185.4 million metric tonnes consisted of aquatic organisms, whereas 37.8 million metric tonnes were comprised of algae.

The wild capture of aquatic animals has decreased from 91.6 million tonnes in 2021 to 91 million tonnes in the subsequent year. On the other hand, aquaculture’s output increased to 94.4 million in 2022, compared to 91.1 million in the previous year.

According to the report, Aquaculture accounted for 51% of aquatic animal output in 2022. Among the continents, Asia represented over 90% of the worldwide aquaculture production of aquatic animals. However, approximately 90% of marine animals raised or caught are used for human food, while the remaining portion is allocated for purposes such as animal feed or fish oils.

According to experts, it is not unexpected that more fish are raised nowadays than wild-caught. During the last 30 years, wild catch from the seas has not risen much due to many factors, including, but not limited to, overfishing, climate change, and other natural restrictions.

However, seafood consumption has increased twice as rapidly as the global population’s annual growth rate since 1961. Hence, the expansion of aquaculture was highly likely to meet growing worldwide demand for seafood.

The United Nations agency anticipates that global aquaculture production will increase to 111 million tonnes by 2032. At the same time, the quantity of fish captured will increase more gradually, reaching 94 million tonnes during the same period.

According to Manuel Barange, the director of the FAO’s fisheries and aquaculture division, “Aquaculture has seen advantages due to the growing praise of the health benefits, such as Omega 3 and other micronutrients, present in food from aquatic animals, as well as its comparatively minimized environmental effect compared to food obtained from land animals.”

“The additional supply would be essential to provide an expanding global populace with enough protein and guarantee food security,” he added.

Nevertheless, the rise of aquaculture emphasizes the necessity of reshaping marine systems to reduce their environmental impact.

Many experts believe that the fast-growing aquaculture industry might be detrimental to food security in less developed countries due to the haphazard use of pesticides and antibiotics. 

Furthermore, they assert that the overuse of antibiotics to treat disease in farmed fish is contributing to the rise of drug-resistant pathogens. Additionally, the waste from the aquaculture farms might pollute and harm the nearby aquatic environment.

Nevertheless, fish aquaculture companies are currently in the process of developing more sophisticated systems in order to meet the growing international demand and mitigate any adverse effects. The FAO suggests that sustainable seafood production must be transformed, adapted, and expanded to meet the increasing demand and enhance food security in order to feed the world’s expanding population.

Jaber Bin Abdul Bari
Department of Oceanography, NSTU

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According to the study “The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture” released by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, Bangladesh has surpassed China to become the second-largest producer of freshwater fish in the world.

The report used data from 2022, which is released every two years. The ranking is determined by the quantity of fish caught from natural bodies of water, such as rivers, lakes, and wetlands. 

The study states that in numerous countries, notably large aquaculture producers such as China, India, Vietnam, and Bangladesh, aquaculture production has consistently exceeded capture fisheries for a couple of years.

Countries with significant waterbodies or river basins tend to have a higher concentration of production from inland fishing. India, China, Bangladesh, and Myanmar are the leading producers of inland fish in Asia, collectively contributing to around 66% of the worldwide inland fisheries production.

China lost its position as the leading producer of inland water since 2020. In 2022, India and Bangladesh exceeded it in terms of catches, with 1.9 million tonnes and 1.3 million tonnes, respectively. Nevertheless, Bangladesh’s ranking in fish harvested from ponds and confined waterbodies has declined from third to fifth position.

In 2023, Bangladesh’s fish production reached a grand total of 4.8 million tonnes. This consisted of 3.2 million tonnes from fish aquaculture and 1.3 million tonnes from open water bodies. In 2023, the entire production of hilsa fish from open water bodies amounted to 0.65 million tonnes, which accounted for half of the fish caught.

The condition of inland capture fisheries and its impact on food security, livelihoods, and economies are fundamentally reliant on inland aquatic habitats. Due to Bangladesh’s conservation efforts and the prohibition of fishing during the mating season, fish production has significantly grown, thanks to the country’s abundant aquatic resources.

In addition, Bangladeshi scientists have successfully devised artificial breeding and sophisticated farming methods for 40 of the 261 fish species that inhabit the open waterbodies of the country. These techniques are facilitating the growth of fish output in ponds, lakes, and rivers.

Nevertheless, the government has established more ambitious objectives to achieve a fish production of 6.5 million tons by 2030 and 8.5 million tonnes by 2041.

Jaber Bin Abdul Bari
Department of Oceanography, NSTU

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India has seen remarkable development in fish production, with output rising from 0.75 million MT in 1950–1951 to 16.25 million MT in 2021–2022. India’s entire fish production was dominated by marine fish production till 2000.

However, India’s inland fisheries have experienced a reversal as a result of the promotion and acceptance of scientific fish-raising and management techniques. Inland fisheries’ share of the nation’s overall fish output has nearly doubled over the previous four to five decades, rising from 36% in the mid-1980s to 70% in the most recent period.

Presently, India is the 3rd largest fish-producing and 2nd largest aquaculture nation in the world after China accounting for 8% of global production. 

Brackish/saline water aquaculture has also gained popularity in India. The brackish water shrimp farming industry has grown significantly during the last few decades. Brackish water aquaculture has enormous potential because the country possesses around 1.42 million hectares of brackish/saline land.

In the fiscal year 2022-23, India exported fish and fish products worth USD 8.09 billion. Frozen shrimp accounted for the majority of exports, earning USD 5.48 billion.

India also has abundant and diverse cold water resources, including significant indigenous fish germplasm and clean water with a variety of temperature regimes. As a result, the Himalayan states have a unique advantage in the Cold Water Fishery sector.

Recognizing the importance of fisheries and aquaculture in ensuring food security, nutrition, and livelihood, the Indian government has recently made significant investments in the industry, both financially and institutionally. The Fisheries Department is implementing several new projects to increase inland fish farming with public engagement.

Inland fisheries have enormous possibilities and promise for increasing production through effective fisheries management, technology infusion, and capacity building. In India, more than 30 million fishermen and farmers at the primary level, as well as many more throughout the fisheries value chain, rely on fisheries and aquaculture for a living and employment majority of whom are dependent on the inland fishery sector. Thus this sector is critical for various socially, economically, and nutritionally disadvantaged groups of people.

However, the sector confronts various obstacles. A few of the major issues are overexploitation, incomplete databases and catch data, uneven gender involvement, poor infrastructure, and weak governance structures. Furthermore, the inland fisheries sector is severely lacking temperature-controlled supply chain. Additionally, the marketing of fish and its associated goods is mostly uncontrolled and unregulated. 

To address these difficulties, a comprehensive strategy for managing inland fisheries is necessary, incorporating all important components such as fisheries resources, fish, and fishers. It is critical that the Indian government, scientists, fishery managers, fishermen, and other resource users should work together to ensure the long-term management of inland fisheries resources.

Jaber Bin Abdul Bari
Department of Oceanography, NSTU

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In Hakaluki Haor, there are around 150 kinds of freshwater fish, 120 species of aquatic plants, and 20 species of reptiles. Every winter, over 200 uncommon migrating bird species congregate here. Hakaluki Haor is an excellent resource for the growth of the tourist sector, sustainable development, and biodiversity preservation.

Out of 281 bills of Hakaluki Hawr, 233 bills have been fully and partially filled, according to the Perspective-2009 survey. On an area of around 18,000 hectares, Hakaluki Haor produces about 15,000 tons of fish annually. In the Haor region of Moulvibazar, around half of its output occurs. But recent year, there are comparatively less fish being captured in Haor. According to those in the know, the filling of Haor’s bill, the bill’s dehydration, and the absence of permanent shelter are all contributing factors to the fishery’s progressive decline in production. They are also expressing concern over the start of the year’s decline in fish capture. The amount of water in the bills is diminishing as a result of decreased rainfall brought on by climate change. Fisheries and biodiversity in Haor are quickly diminishing as a result of the filling of Haor’s bill, the bill’s dehydration, and the absence of permanent shelter, inadequate planning, and inadequate management.

In order to preserve the fisheries and biodiversity of the ecologically vulnerable Hakaluki Haor as a permanent sanctuary, the government passed eighteen measures in 2010 and 2011. Eight of these bills remain as of right now, out of the eighteen that were deemed asylum cases. These eight Abhayashram Bills cover a mere 160 hectares. Koyarkona, Maiajuri, Nimu, Tekuni, Tolar, Agdar, Maichla Dak, and Kangli Gobar Kuri Bill are all permanent fish sanctuaries. Just 160 hectares of the 4,000 hectare Bill of Haor provide extremely inadequate cover. Through a revenue sector project, the Department of Fisheries has finished the sanctuary’s fisheries conservation program in last year. The shelters’ tough reputation has altered as a result.

Fish production and aquatic life diversity in Hakaluki will rise if appropriate measures are taken to excavate these fish sanctuaries, expand the number of sanctuaries, and safeguard the sanctuaries. Additionally, fishermen should be encouraged to refrain from taking fish in Haor entirely during the fish breeding season for a set amount of time. In the same manner that government departments collaborate to safeguard the Hilsa, they should also collaborate to safeguard the Haor. Only then will Hakaluki Haor be spared, and the lives of thousands of people living along the Haor will be improved.

Farhana Islam
Agriculturist, Researcher
Fisheries Resource Management, CVASU

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Bangladesh generates a significant amount of foreign revenue by exporting fish, shrimp, and other fisheries or fishing-related goods.

Bangladesh has primarily three types of key fisheries resources that contributes to the economy.

Inland fisheries include rivers, ponds, estuaries, beels, floodplains, haors, bays, brackish water, and so on. Bangladesh currently accounts for a tenth of the world’s total inland water capture fish production, producing approximately 1.2 million tons per year.

Aquaculture is also an important source that has dramatically improved fish output. Bangladesh’s quick expansion in aquaculture production has reduced poverty, boosted protein intake, and decreased fish costs.

Although aquaculture productivity has grown, open-water fish production remains modest. Currently, inland open water accounts for just around 28.45% of total fish output.

Bangladesh’s marine fisheries resources, however, have mostly gone unexplored. The Bay of Bengal in the southern Bangladesh has a total area of 166,000 square kilometers of water, including an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), however, fishing is restricted to areas within 200 meters of depth. 

During the 2020–21 fiscal year, Bangladesh exported fish worth 482 million US dollars, while the country’s domestic fish production was 4.62 million metric tons. The country’s gross domestic product was 3.57% that derived from the fishing industry.

Bangladesh now produces an average of 4.4 million tons of fish annually, up from 1.8 million tons in 2000. Ten years ago, the country’s Hilsa catch was barely 0.3 million tons annually; while now, it exceeds half a million tons.

But what is the reason behind Bangladesh’s tremendous success in fish production growth?

“We maintain an international standard laboratory to assure product quality. Bangladesh has established essential policies, notably the ‘Fish and Fish Products Act’, to improve the fisheries sector,” Fisheries and Livestock Minister SM Rezaul Karim told an international forum in the United States.

The minister also informed the audience that the fisheries administration had been assisting local farmers in increasing output through the cluster-based project.

Fish prices were high in the 1980s and 1990s, contributing to the country’s poor nutrition.  However, as aquaculture technology advanced, fish output doubled between 2000 and 2010, prices declined, per capita annual fish intake increased nationwide, and the rise of pond fisheries created additional jobs.

Furthermore, better infrastructure and information availability result in decreased transaction costs. Bangladesh has substantially improved its roads, rural power, and telecommunications connectivity.

As a result, fish trading and marketing expenses have decreased proportionally. Fish value chains now have fewer participants per unit of output. While the number of dealers has grown, fish output has increased significantly.

In recent years, fish researchers and scientists in Bangladesh have also succeeded in establishing a gene bank for conserving indigenous fish species and restoring breeding of at least 24 out of 64 nearly extinct native fish species.

However, Bangladesh has yet bigger plans to increase fish production and stretch the success graph to a higher level.

Bangladesh Fisheries Minister has now requested international collaboration in implementing third-party certification to secure fair rates for Bangladeshi shrimp in export destinations.

The Minister Rezaul Karim has also inaugurated a web portal for revitalisation of black tiger shrimp community.

To fully achieve Bangladesh’s potential, authorities and researchers must identify and overcome productivity challenges, and need to act accordingly.

Jaber Bin Abdul Bari
Department of Oceanography, NSTU

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Fisheries in Indonesia play a significant role in the global food security. Its waters are home to more than 3,000 species of bony fishes, 850 sharks, rays, and chimaeras. 

For millions of Indonesians, fishing is a source of food and a way of life, since nearly 40 percent live below the poverty line. Approximately 12 million Indonesians work in the fisheries industry.

According to the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, exports of fishery products will reach US$7.2 billion by the end of 2024. Compared to 2020, when the Covid-19 outbreak severely damaged the sector, this represents a four-fold rise.

The government also intends to revitalize more than 300,000 hectares of abandoned shrimp farms.

Sadly, most of Indonesia’s fisheries are overexploited or fully exploited, and illegal fishing practices are widespread. Additionally, there are issues associated with food safety and quality control, limited infrastructure, and lack of access to financing.

More than 90% of its fish stocks are estimated to be overexploited or fully exploited in Indonesia. An estimated 15–30% of the entire catch is thought to be the result of rampant Illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, which severely impacts Indonesia’s fisheries sector. In Indonesia, fishing laws are frequently not enforced, which eases the continuation of illicit and unsustainable fishing methods. 

Destructive fishing techniques like dynamite and trawling are widely used by Indonesian fishermen, which also harm marine ecosystems and coral reefs while also killing non-target species and producing unanticipated capture rates.

Although up to 50% of the fishery sector’s production is thought to have been lost due to overfishing, the Indonesian authority is hardly taking any measures against it. Because data scarcity is a major obstacle to combating overfishing. It is more difficult for the government to enforce the laws if they don’t know which species are overfished, where, and in what amounts. 

In complicated multi-species fisheries, such as those in Indonesia and many other tropical developing nations, meaningful fish data simply does not exist, making sustainable management nearly difficult.

However, artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to digitally change Indonesia’s fishing industry and combat these challenges. AI technologies may also help Indonesian fisheries increase accountability and traceability in their supply chains, which is critical for satisfying the needs of more conscientious customers.

The Government’s push to digitize the Indonesian fishing industry has already focused attention on aquaculture firms, many of whom are leveraging AI to meet demand.

For example, Temasek-backed eFishery, established in 2013, employs automated feeding gear, but many indigenous farmers traditionally feed the fish by hand.

These feeders monitor the hunger levels of fish and shrimp based on their motions, avoiding the issue of over- or under-feeding when done conventionally.

Jala, a digital solution specialist for the shrimp farming company, employs technology to keep track of environmental parameters and feeding data, which farmers can then utilize to optimize productivity.

Its smartphone app presently has over 20,000 users and monitors shrimp in more than 35,000 ponds.

“By creating an equitable digital economy, the use of AI and other modern technologies might lessen social and economic inequality in a field based on traditional farmers and poor yields,” said Liris Maduningtyas, the chief executive of aquaculture startup Jala.

Aruna, an Indonesian company that aggregates supply chains for the marine and fisheries sectors, has developed a platform that provides fishermen with more direct and extensive access to clients worldwide.

Additionally, Aruna regularly collaborates with regional grocery e-commerce sites like Shopee, Bukalapak, and Tokopedia to offer fish goods to their product listings.

Since 2019, increasing the productivity of its aquaculture has been Indonesia’s top development goal. Reaching its desired objective is still feasible, though, with the right use of AI.

Jaber Bin Abdul Bari
Department of Oceanography, NSTU

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Asia is currently the world’s largest aquaculture producer, with Bangladesh ranking fifth, just behind of China, Indonesia, India, and Vietnam.

Fisheries play a crucial role in Bangladesh’s economic landscape, providing sustenance as well as economic prosperity. In addition to providing non-vegetarian food for the country, it also generates substantial income.

Fish exports totaling 70,000 tons were made in the fiscal year 2022–2023, bringing in a noteworthy Tk 4,790.3 crore. The infusion of foreign revenue generated by fish exports significantly contributes to the nation’s overall growth.

By 2041, Bangladesh aims to produce 8.5 million MT of fish, demonstrating its commitment to the growth and sustainability of its fisheries.

The study showed that, climate change could cost Asia’s aquaculture industry US$140 million over ten years, especially in Bangladesh.

A total of 54,000 MT of aquaculture production were lost from 2011 to 2020 as a result of floods, worth US$93 million. Approximately US$248 million was lost in fish products due to cyclones, the second most destructive factor.

Due to Bangladesh’s disaster-prone nature, previous natural calamities have already demonstrated the severity of financial losses. The devastating floods following Cyclone Amphan in 2020 washed away fish and shrimp worth Tk 900 crore in the central, north, and southern districts. A dam in Bagherhat was destroyed by Cyclone Yaas in 2021, resulting in flooding of hundreds of fish grounds and houses. During the rapid flood of 2022, 1,655 hectares of fish, crab, and shrimp in Satkhira were flooded, resulting in a loss of Tk 8.46 crore. In 2023, Bangladesh was ravaged by Cyclone Midhili, triggering flash floods in coastal districts.

However, fish farmers can minimize losses from such events with reliable climate-related information. By providing science-based information and forecasts, climate service data empowers decision-makers to manage risk and to discover opportunities associated with climate variability and climate change.

Thus, climate information can help fish farmers make climate-sensitive decisions and manage production processes in order to reduce climate-related risks.

Dr. Rumana Hossainn, WorldFish scientist and lead author on the research said that, “We have found that aquaculture provides livelihoods for thousands of people. Our financial losses highlight the need to invest in Climate Information Services, which could have a game-changing impact on our aquaculture industry.” 

Climate services for aquaculture have been slow to be adopted in countries in the Global South, according to the study.

In Bangladesh, a lack of awareness about economic benefits, inadequate education, and the use of such services for crops are the main reasons for this.

As the need for climate information seems quite urgent, experts suggest that the Fisheries Department could disseminate climate information from the Bangladesh Meteorological Department. By doing so, the sector will be able to provide advice and manage the threats caused by climate change.

Jaber Bin Abdul Bari
Department of Oceanography, NSTU

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Occasionally, fishermen capture creatures that they are not permitted to retain, cannot sell, or do not want to abandon. “Bycatch” is the collective term for this. In addition to fish, bycatch can also refer to other creatures that get tangled or snagged in fishing gear, including dolphins, whales, sea turtles, and seabirds. These inadvertently captured animals frequently get wounds or pass away. Small-scale subsistence fishing yields significantly less bycatch than industrial-scale fishing operations.

What is the cause of bycatch?

The main reason why bycatch happens in commercial fishing is that financial gain takes precedence above the welfare of animals or the health of the ecosystem. Due to the enormous demand from consumers for inexpensive seafood, commercial fisheries strive to provide the highest possible quantity of fish at the most competitive price.

Nowadays, a large portion of bycatch is caused by non-selective fishing gear. While highly effective in capturing target species, modern fishing gear also captures a large number of non-target creatures. “Incidental capture of turtles by longlines, trawls, and gillnets is the single greatest threat to the survival of most populations,” states the World Wildlife Fund.

The problem of bycatch:

Marine life is seriously harmed by bycatch, frequently to the point of death. The sudden change in water pressure that occurs when fishing gear propels fish and other aquatic animals to the surface can rupture their internal organs, which can be fatal. Other instances, nontarget species are thrown back into the water while they are already dead or dying on the decks of fishing boats.

Ecologically and financially, unwanted catch is a problem. Marine ecosystems are impacted by abandoned animals because they frequently die and are unable to reproduce. Bycatch can hinder population recovery and contribute to population reductions by slowing the restoration of overfished stocks and putting protected species like whales and sea turtles at increased risk. The elimination of their preferred prey and occasionally habitat destruction are two additional effects of fishing on marine mammals. Important fish habitat and protected corals may be harmed by bycatch of species like sponges and corals.

Fishermen suffer greatly from bycatch as well. It leads to gear damage, fewer catches, and fishing regulations that jeopardize their ability to make a living. Bycatch harms local and indigenous communities, who have coexisted with marine environments for thousands of years, in addition to harming ocean ecosystems. Many communities are losing access to traditional fishing grounds they have cared for for centuries as large commercial ships diminish the marine life in these regions.

How can unwanted catch be managed?

Bycatch-based fishing can be considered sustainable as long as the quantities of bycatch are properly controlled and the impacted fish populations continue to be robust. Fish that are legally caught as bycatch but are thrown out because their market value is too low. By figuring out how to employ this lawful catch, the fishing industry can benefit financially, and the amount of bycatch can be decreased.

Fishermen capture a diverse range of species and employ an extensive array of fishing equipment. To reduce bycatch, scientists, enthusiasts, GOs, NGOs, and INGOs should collaborate to develop, test, and adopt alternative fishing gear. They must to back the creation of technological advancements and modifications to fishing methods intended to reduce bycatch.

Farhana Islam
Agriculturist, Researcher
Fisheries Resource Management, CVASU

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Md Moniruzzaman, coordinator of the Smart Fisheries E-Traceability Pilot Project, presented the innovative program during the meeting. Notable figures in attendance included district fisheries officer Joydev Pal, FOAB president Mullah Shamsur Rahman Shaheen, Khulna Quality Control Office Inspector Md Mizanur Rahman, and other key industry players.

The stakeholders unanimously agreed on the crucial role e-traceability plays in expanding the smart fisheries sector. Recognizing its significance in maintaining the reputation of the shrimp industry on a global scale, they stressed the need to identify intermediary stakeholders in the supply chain and ensure compliance with actual licenses.

One key proposal discussed was the integration of farmers and fish collectors into a digital smart card system. This approach would not only facilitate the identification of safe products from farmers but also pave the way for sustainable employment opportunities, particularly benefiting youth and women involved in fish marketing. The ultimate goal is to bolster the industry’s growth, securing a steady supply of high-quality fish products and contributing to foreign exchange earnings.

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