ENV 203/GEO 205: Introduction to

Geography
Lecture 7
Natural Resources of Bangladesh -3

Moupia Rahman (MpR), PhD

E-mail: moupia2004@yahoo.com
Marine and Freshwater Fisheries
Resources of Bangladesh
Aquatic plants
Fisheries of Bangladesh

4
Introduction
▪Bangladesh having the 3rd largest aquatic biodiversity in
Asia behind China & India;
▪About 800 species of fresh, brackish & marine waters;
▪Having world’s largest flooded wetland (Bengal Delta) &
three main river systems
▪ Ganges, Brahmaputra & Meghna >
▪Vast water resources offer the best possibilities for food
security & income generation.
 Introduction……………..contd

• Bangladesh has ranked third in the world in terms of

inland fish production in 2018, according to a report by
the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
• After ranking fifth last year, the country now only trails
behind China and India, ranked first and second,
respectively.

• fisheries sector contributed 3.57 percent to the national

GDP in FY18.
 About the Fisheries Resources
• Fisheries and aquatic resources are economically,
ecologically, culturally, aesthetically important to the
nation.
• Many of these resources are in decline due to factors
such as: habitat alteration, degrading water quality,
invasive species, water availability, and inadequate
stock management.
• Successful conservation and restoration of these
resources requires access to data and information on
fish biology, population dynamics, management,
hatcheries, water quality, and aquatic habitat and
ecosystems.
 About the Fisheries Resources….

• From the global perspectives, the main issues facing by the

international fishing community are over fishing and
environmental degradation.

• In Bangladesh, fisheries is one of the major sub-sectors of

agriculture, which play a dominant role in nutrition,
employment, earning foreign currency and other areas of
economy.
 About the Fisheries Resources…

•The country has about 710km long coastal belt;

•Continental shelf is about 37,000km2 having up to
50m depth;
•Area of EEZ is about 1,64,000 km2, which is larger
than land area (1,44,000km2) of the country;
•Fisheries sector contributes 5.71% of total export
earning and 4.92% to the GDP;
•The sector contributes 22% of the total agricultural
production & 63% of the total animal protein intake of
the country.
 About the Fisheries Resources…..
Present fish production (2007): 2.7 million tons

•Total Marine catch : 497,573 t (19.4%)--------2011 (18%)

•Industrial : 34156 t (1.3%)
•Artisanal : 463414 t (18.1%)
•Total Inland catch : 2,065,723 t (80.59%) ---2011 (82%)
Capture : 1060181 t (41.36%) –-----2011 (34%)
Aquaculture : 1005542 t (39.23%)----2011 (48%)

•Hilsa (Tenualosailisha), as a single species, accounts nearly half of the

total marine catches, and 12-13% of the total fish production of the
country.
 Climate change & Fisheries resources

• Climate change has both direct and indirect impacts on

fish stocks that are exploited commercially:

• Direct effects act on physiology and behavior and alter

the growth rate, development, reproductive capacity,
mortality and migration;

• Indirect effects alter the productivity, structure, and

composition of the ecosystem on which fish depend
for food and shelter.
 Climate change can affect the productivity or distribution
of fishery resources

• Changes in water temperature and precipitation affect the

dynamics of ocean currents, the flow of rivers and the area
covered by wetlands. This will have effects on ecosystem
structure and function and on the distribution and
production of fish stocks;

• Increased incidence of extreme events such as floods,

droughts and storms will affect the safety and efficiency of
fishing operations;
Climate change can affect the productivity or distribution
of fishery resources….
▪ Sea level rise, melting of glaciers at the headwaters of
major rivers and other large-scale environmental changes
will have unpredictable effects on coastal and wetland
environments and livelihoods; and

▪ Complex links between climate change, fisheries and other

sectors will have indirect effects including fisheries being
affected by changing water demands from agriculture,
diversion of government and international financial
resources away from fisheries management and into
emergency relief after extreme weather events.
 Likely impact of climate change on fisheries and
aquaculture

Marine and Estuarine capture fisheries:

• Affect water temperature and salinity regimes in the upper

Bay of Bengal;

• Increased water temperature may likely to advance the

sexual maturation;

• Increased temperature may upset timing of spawning

migration into the fresh water rivers and estuarine areas.
 Likely impact of climate change on fisheries and
aquaculture….

Freshwater capture fisheries

• Rising sea level may likely affect in reduction fresh water

habitat;
• Climate change may enhance precipitation and flood and
increased water flow in the tidal rivers, streams and creeks;
• Increased riparian fresh water flow into estuaries and
coastal areas will alter the estuarine ecology;
• Such alteration may affect the habitats of various shrimp
and fish making inhospitable and inaccessible.
 Likely impact of climate change on fisheries and
aquaculture….

Freshwater aquaculture

• Pond based aquaculture in coastal area might be affected

by sea level rising through submersion;

• Rising temperature may affect the hatchery based fish seed

production across the country and aquaculture enterprise.
 Implications of climate change in inland
fisheries

• River is one of the important resources of inland capture

fisheries which is linked to the livelihoods of a wide range
of people across the country;

• Low level of river water intensified fishing pressure on the

river fisheries;
Affects of low rainfall on fisheries resources
Hussain et al. 2009
Fisheries of Bangladesh

26
Fisheries of Bangladesh

27
 Important statistics
about the Fisheries of
Bangladesh

28
 References
• http://www.fao.org/3/i9540en/I9540EN.pdf
• https://www.factretriever.com/fun-fish-facts