Home ›› 25 Mar 2023 ›› Front
Fish production increased by 2.97 per cent in FY22 year-on-year despite unfavourable weather conditions, with production going up from each source – inland open water, farming, and marine.
According to the Department of Fisheries, fish production rose to 47,58,731 tonnes in FY22 from 46,21,228 tonnes in the previous fiscal year.
Besides, per hectare production in FY22 was 861kg from inland fishing, 342kg from capture, and 3,231kg from fish culture.
Sector insiders said rainfall is very important for fish to grow but there was significantly less rain in the last fiscal year. Moreover, no significant investment in deep-sea fishing has been made, a step that could boost marine fisheries.
Experts said the rise in fish production from open sources is possible despite a reduction in floodplains and a lack of rain if the management of the existing water bodies improves.
However, the survey data of the Department of Fisheries is always a prediction and the total production may vary from that, they added.
Fish sources
In FY22, inland fish capture rose by 1.57 per cent to 13,21,631 tonnes from open water, 3.5 per cent to 27,31,070 tonnes from inland culture, and 3.64 per cent to 7,06,030 tonnes from marine sources compared to the previous financial year.
In the same period, shrimp production increased by 3.65 per cent to 2,61,154 tonnes and that of hilsa by 0.25 per cent to 5,66,593 tonnes.
Of the total production, 40,52,701 tonnes came from inland water and 7,06,030 tonnes from marine sources.
“Fish production increased due to the use of the latest technologies and the modern management of water bodies,” Shamim Ara Begum, director (inland) of the Department of Fisheries, told The Business Post.
Among inland open water sources, the majority of fish (8,31,417 tonnes) came from floodplains, followed by 3,42,545 tonnes from river estuary, 1,05,573 tonnes from beels, 24,259 tonnes from the Sundarbans, and 17,937 tonnes from the Kaptai Lake.
Among closed water farming sources, the highest amount (21,66,715 tonnes) came from pond fisheries, 2,31,692 tonnes from seasonal water bodies, 11,685 tonnes from baors, 2,87,497 tonnes from shrimp, 13,397 tonnes from crab, 15,063 tonnes from pen culture, and 5,021 tonnes from crab culture.
As for marine sources, some 1,37,170 tonnes came from industrial fishing and 5,68,860 tonnes from artisanal.
High production despite declining floodplains
There was no reflection of less rain and reduced floodplains in open water fish production. In the last five years (FY17-FY22), fish production in floodplains increased by 56,635 tonnes though the area of floodplains fell by 66,370 hectares.
In 2017, some 7,65,782 tonnes of fish came from 27,12,618 hectares of floodplain.
The management of water bodies improved in recent years while communities have been included in the process, Md Foysul Hossain, assistant professor of the Department of Aquatic Environment and Resource Management at Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, told The Business Post.
The government, non-governmental organisations, and foreign donors are carrying out different activities to reduce the use of fertilisers, insecticides, and pesticides as well as increase fish production in open water, he explained.
“Besides, the government bans fishing at different times to save mother fishes. All these activities have contributed to the increase in production despite the reduction in floodplains,” he added.
In inland fishing, rohu topped the list with 4,62,321 tonnes of production, followed by tilapia (4,07,359 tonnes), pangas (4,06,185 tonnes), silver carp (2,80,495 tonnes), catla (2,77,551 tonnes), mrigal (2,73,940) tonnes, and hilsa (2,44,722 tonnes). These seven species made up 51.31 per cent of the total inland fish production.
“In general, it can be said that the presence of fish in open water bodies has reduced. But the Department of Fisheries certainly follows a survey model to calculate the production figure. We should rely on this data,” Monirul Islam, a professor in the Department of Fisheries at the University of Dhaka, said.
“Fish sanctuaries are maintained in rivers to protect mother fishes. Mother hilsa catching is prohibited strongly, and haors are under monitoring. All this has increased fish production,” he added.
