First marine fishing policy looks to spur mariculture

For the first time, the government has framed a separate policy for marine fishing in order to ensure sustainable fishing and conserve the resources through proper management, according to a notification from the fisheries and livestock ministry.

The policy also aims to increase production through mariculture, which involves cultivating marine organisms in their natural environment, and encourage foreign investment in joint ventures in this regard.

Under the new policy, the government will estimate the fish stock in the sea through a survey and introduce responsible fishing systems.

"We will fix a maximum fishing limit for various types of fishing vessels under the policy. Our main objective is to ensure sustainable fishing and conserve fish resources through surveillance and monitoring," said KH Mahbubul Haque, director general of the Department of Fisheries (DoF).

He said the policy has been framed in line with international obligations. Before the new policy, fishing in the sea was allowed as per the national fisheries policy.

"We also want to earn foreign currency by utilising marine resources," he added.

The policy comes at a time when fish stocks in the Bay of Bengal are feared to have been depleted by over fishing. For example, two marine species, namely silver pomfret and Indian threadfin, have been depleted because of over catching, according to a DoF publication.

Bangladesh has the legal right to fish and exploit other marine resources with a 118,813 square kilometre area of the Bay of Bengal, which has 475 species of fish. Of those, fishermen and industrial trawlers can catch up to 30 types of fishes with a majority comprising hilsha.

Apart from these, 35 species of shrimp are available in the sea that provides roughly 15 per cent of the total annual production of fish estimated at 45 lakh tonnes in fiscal 2019-20, according to the DoF.

Marine fishing is the main source of income for nearly 500,000 fishermen living near the coast, according to the policy.

Some 200 industrial trawlers, around 350 wooden trawlers and 65,000 country boats are engaged in fishing the Bay of Bengal.

The policy said fishermen mainly catch fish in coastal and continental shelf areas that account for 55 per cent of Bangladesh's marine area, leaving a large part of the sea unexplored.

In the policy, the fisheries and livestock ministry said there is prospect of catching tuna beyond the 200-metre depth area of the exclusive economic zone of Bangladesh. However, tuna cannot be explored in absence of modern technology and high-powered fishing trawlers. It is possible to earn a lot of foreign currency if tuna and other fishes in the deep sea can be explored, said the policy issued midway through this week.

Under the policy, the government will register all types of fishing vessels that are engaged in catching sea fishes.

Nurul Qayyum Khan, president of the Bangladesh Marine Fisheries Association, said it will be good to register all the fishing vessels.

Khan then said foreign investment in joint ventures could be allowed in some areas.

Md Monirul Islam, chairman of the fisheries department at Dhaka University, welcomed the policy as there previously were no regulations in this regard.

"It will help exploit the potential of the blue economy along with achievement of one of the Sustainable Development Goals," he said. 

Islam went on to say that mariculture is a good initiative but it will require technology.

"There are even countries that farm fishes in ships," he said.

"The main point is implementation of the policy. For this, the government has to increase investment," he added.