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Evolution of fisheries sector in Bangladesh

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•
M
MD. ZANE ALAM

Bangladesh is a densely populated country of 147 570 km2 with a population of 160 million people. It is fortunate in having an extensive water resource in the form of ponds, natural depressions (haors and beels ), lakes, canals, rivers and estuaries covering an area of 47,03,658 ha . The present per capita annual fish consumption in Bangladesh stands at about 14 kg/year against a recommended minimum requirement of 18 kg/year; hence, there is still need to improve fish consumption in the country. Fisheries in Bangladesh are diverse, there are about 795 native species of fish and shrimp in the fresh and marine waters of Bangladesh and 12 exotic species that have been introduced. In addition, there are 10 species of pearl bearing bivalves, 12 species of edible tortoise and turtle, 15 species of crab and 3 species of lobster.

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Bangladesh is a densely populated country of 147 570 km2 with a population of 160 million people. It is fortunate in having an extensive water resource in the form of ponds, natural depressions (haors and beels ), lakes, canals, rivers and estuaries covering an area of 47,03,658 ha . The present per capita annual fish consumption in Bangladesh stands at about 14 kg/year against a recommended minimum requirement of 18 kg/year; hence, there is still need to improve fish consumption in the country. Fisheries in Bangladesh are diverse, there are about 795 native species of fish and shrimp in the fresh and marine waters of Bangladesh and 12 exotic species that have been introduced. In addition, there are 10 species of pearl bearing bivalves, 12 species of edible tortoise and turtle, 15 species of crab and 3 species of lobster. History and general overview: The origin and development of Fisheries in Bangladesh are not well documented; historically the country's natural water bodies were stocked during the monsoon season through natural spawning. Fish farming had been a traditional practice dating back several centuries to when the country was ruled by Hindu kings It was one Dr. Nazir Ahmed (1947–1960), the then Director of Fisheries in East Pakistan who laid the formal foundation for fish culture in ponds and lakes within Bangladesh. Dr. Ahmed worked keenly on the development of large scale carp culture in ponds and lakes and by the late sixties and early seventies some progress had been made in this area. In the late sixties Ali (1967) successfully carried out induced breeding of Indian major carp species using carp pituitary gland extracts, over the last few decades, however, natural breeding grounds and fish habitats in Bangladesh have been degraded considerably by the development of flood control measures which, as a consequence, have resulted in a decline in natural fish production. As a result government, NGOs and private entrepreneurs have come forward to develop improved fish culture techniques especially in ponds and lakes. On the basis of habitat you can classify two types of aquaculture being carried out in Bangladesh; freshwater and coastal aquaculture; there is no marine aquaculture production currently. Freshwater aquaculture comprises mainly pond aquaculture especially the polyculture of both native and exotic species; on the other hand, coastal aquaculture is comprised mainly of shrimp farming. In Bangladesh, aquaculture production systems are mainly extensive and extended extensive, with some semi-intensive and in very few cases intensive systems Table : Comparison of the profitability between different types of aquaculture production systems in Bangladesh (ICLARM, 2002)
– Annual yield(kg/ha) Operating cost(US$/ha) Net profit(US$/ha) Carp polyculture 4 000 1 840 2 241 Tilapia monoculture 4 050 453 1 420 Integrated rice-fish culture 1 440 453 400 Feed and labor comprise the two most important components of the total operating cost for most culture systems in Bangladesh, each accounting for approximately 20 percent and 17 percent, respectively of the total operating costs. The species cultured in the coastal regions of Bangladesh include mainly tiger prawn but also prawn, brown shrimp, white shrimp, mud crab, giant sea perch and yellow tail mullet. Human resource: Fisheries and aquaculture play a major role in nutrition, employment and foreign exchange earnings with about 12 million people are associated with the fisheries sector, of which 1.4 million people rely exclusively on fisheries related activities. There are 3.08 million fish farmers, 1.28 million inland fishermen and 0.45 million fry collectors (fish and shrimp) in Bangladesh (DOF, 2003) and it is estimated that fisheries and related activities support more than 7 percent of the country's population. Currently, more than 600 000 people are engaged in shrimp farming activities (Karim, 2003), it is also estimated that around 14 000 fishermen (2.5 fishers per ha water body) are directly involved and 70 000 rural people are the direct beneficiaries of oxbow lake fisheries . Farming system distribution and characteristics: Table : Freshwater pond farming systems as defined in the context of Bangladesh Farming systems Farming practices a) Extensive Stocking mainly with the three Indian major carp species, no fertilisation and feeding. b) Extended extensive Stocking mainly with the three Indian major and three exotic (silver, common and grass) carps, irregular use of fertilisation (mostly cow dung) but without feeding. Silver barb is also occasionally stocked. c) Semi- intensive  Stage 1: Stocking mainly with the three Indian major and three exotic carps. Regular use of fertilizer with occasional use of low quality supplemental feed consisting of rice bran and oil cakes. Silver barb is generally stocked and also freshwater prawn and Nile tilapia.  Stage 2: Stocking mainly with the three Indian major and three exotic carps. Regular use of fertilizer and supplemental feed. Silver barb is generally stocked and also freshwater prawn and Nile tilapia and striped catfish.  Stage 3: Monoculture of striped catfish. Regular feeding with rice bran/wheat bran/oil cakes and/or commercially manufactured
pelleted diet. d) Intensive Monoculture of striped catfish. Regular feeding with commercially manufactured pelleted diet. Pond aquaculture: There are an estimated 1.3 million fish ponds in the country, covering an area of 0.151 million ha, of which 55.30 percent is cultured, 28.52 percent is culturable and 16.18 percent is unused. In 2002 the percentage of production from the above three systems was 72.09, 20.01 and 7.90 respectively (BBS, 2002). In Bangladesh, the highest number of ponds exists in the Barisal district (12.11percent), followed by Comilla (9.36 percent), Sylhet (9.10 percent), Chittagong (8.02 percent) and Noakhali (7.75 percent) (BBS, 2002). . The polyculture of major and exotic carps and monoculture of striped catfish (Pangasius hypophthalmus ), Nile tilapia and Java barb (Barbonymus gonionotus ) and to some extent catfish (Clarias batrachus ) are the most widely practiced culture system in Bangladesh. Three Indian major carps namely, Labeo rohita , Catla catla and Cirrhinus mrigala and one exotic carp, Hypophthalmichthys molitrix now account for more than 78 percent of total pond production . Shrimp farming: Shrimp farming in the south and southeastern coastal belt of Bangladesh began in the early 1970s. From less than 20 000 ha of brackishwater ponds in 1980, the area under cultivation expanded to approximately 140 000 ha by 1995 .DoF (2005) estimated that the total area under farming has expanded to 203 071 ha in 2003–2004. The major shrimp producing districts are Bagerhat, Satkhira, Pirojpur, Khulan, Cox's Bazar and Chittagong, recently farmers especially in the Bagerhat and Pirojpur districts have begun shrimp farming in their paddy fields. Traditionally shrimp farming began by trapping tidal waters in nearby coastal enclosures known as 'gher' where no feed, fertilizers or other inputs were applied. Semi intensive farming began in 1993 in the Cox's Bazar region, with this system ponds were stocked with 10–35 post larvae (PL)/m2 using supplemental pellet feed but without reservoir tanks Fish culture in cages: Cage culture was introduced into Bangladesh in the late 1970s on an experimental basis, a series of experiments were conducted at the Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) which demonstrated the potential of cage aquaculture. The Department of Fisheries conducted a cage culture project in Kaptai lake during 1985–86 achieving a production of 6 900 tonnes of fish (Hasan, 1990). CARE, an international NGO, initiated a project at the end of 1995 until 2000, supported by the Department for International Development (DFID) named Cage Aquaculture for Greater Economic Security (CAGES).
Integrated fish farming: The integration of aquaculture with duck and chicken production was begun experimentally at the BFRI, Mymensingh producing some promising results. The project demonstrated that 500 khaki Campbell ducks can be profitably raised on a 1 ha carp pond while also producing 4.5 tonnes/ha of fish without any additional need for supplementary feed or fertiliser for the fish. The most promising integrated farming in Bangladesh is rice fish culture. Integrated multi-trophic aquaculture(IMTA): provides the by-products, including waste, from one aquatic species as inputs(fertilizer)for another. In Bangladesh , First developed this design by Dr. M. Mahfujul Haque, Department of Aquaculture, Bangladesh Agricultural University,Mymensingh,2202. Indian Carp and stinging catfish are cultured in Bangladesh, but the methods could be more productive. The pond and cage cultures used are based only on the fish. They don't take advantage of the productivity increases that could take place if other tropic levels were included. Expensive artificial feeds are used, partly to supply the fish with protein. These costs could be reduced if freshwater snails, such as Viviparus bengalensis, were simultaneously cultured, thus increasing the available protein. The organic and inorganic wastes produced as a byproduct of culturing could also be minimized by integrating freshwater snail and aquatic plants, such as water spinach, respectively. Figure : Off-bottom snail grown on bamboo split in IMTA
Fish culture in ox-bow lakes The most successful example of culture based fisheries has been accomplished in oxbow lakes located in Southwest Bangladesh (Hasan and Middendrop, 1998, Hasan, 2001a). There are approximately 600 oxbow lakes in Bangladesh with an estimated water area of 5 488 ha (DoF, 2003). Most of these oxbow lakes are located in five districts of southwest Bangladesh (Khulna division: Jessore, Jhinaidah, Chuadanga and Kushtia districts and Dhaka division: Faridpur district). Fish farming in Kaptai Lake The Kaptai Lake was created in 1961 by damming the river Karnaphuli at Kaptai in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. It covers an area of approximately 68 800 ha, initially the lake operated a capture only fishery, however, a regular stocking program of about 35 tonnes of carp juveniles per annum is now carried out as a part of a fisheries management program. The species used for stocking are the three major carps and exotic carps (silver, grass and common carps) . The lake also contains 76 other freshwater fish species, of which 68 are indigenous and the rest are exotic, in addition, there are also a few species of freshwater prawn. Cultured Species: A total of 260 fish species have been recorded in the freshwaters of Bangladesh (Rahman, 1989) of these it is estimated that about 200 species are truly freshwater while the rest are examples of estuarine and marine species. Practices /System of Culture: Traditional methods of fish culture in ponds do not use inputs or at least only minimal inputs through the natural recruitment of young fish. Polyculture of native and exotic carps is a popular technology used by many farmers throughout the country, in such systems pond preparation, species selection, stocking density, the application of feed, fertilizers, water exchange and proper husbandry are generally maintained. In general fish culture in Bangladesh is characterized by the use of both extensive and semi-intensive systems. Production:
Contribution of the economy: The fisheries sector is currently contributing 3.8 percent of the GDP. Fish provide 55 percent of animal protein intake in Bangladesh. (Source: www.fao.org)
The institutional framework: The following institutional bodies are involved in aquaculture and fisheries in Bangladesh: 1.The Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock (MoFL), 2.Department of Fisheries (DoF),3. Bangladesh Fisheries Development Corporation (BFDC) and 4. the Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute (BFRI) are the main organizations responsible for aquaculture and its development. The country's universities are responsible for higher level fisheries education.  1. Faculty of Fisheries , Bangladesh Agricultural University ,mymensingh.  2.Department of Fisheries ,University of Dhaka, Dhaka  3.Faculty of Fisheries, Hajee Mohammad Danesh science and Technology ,Dinajpur.  4. Fisheries and Marine Resource Technology discipline ,Khulna University, Khulna.  5. Faculty of Fisheries, Sylhet Agricultural University ,Sylhet.  6. Institute of Marine Science and Fisheries , University of Chittagong ,Chittagong.  7. Bangladesh Marine Fisheries Academy, Chittagong.  8. Faculty of Fisheries ,Bangabandhu sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University, Salna, Gazipur  9. Department of Aquaculture and Fisheries, Jessore University of Science and Technology, Jessore.  10. Department of Fisheries and Marine Science ,Noakhali Science and Technology University, Noakhali.  11. Faculty of Fisheries , Patuakhali Science and Technology University,Patuakhali.  12. Sheikh Fajilatunnesa Mujib Fisheries College, Jamalpur.  Bangladesh Krishi (Agriculture) Bank, Bangladesh Samabay (Co-operative) Bank and some other commercial banks are responsible for issuing credit to the aquaculture sector.  Many of the national and international NGO's provides credits to the fish farmers and as well as takes up projects for aquaculture extension and development.  International organizations (DFID, Danida, NORAD, JICA, World Bank, IMF, ADB etc.) provide grants and credits for aquaculture development.  Youth Development Training Centers, under the Ministry of Youth, deals with extension and the training of unemployed young people and fish farmers. The governing regulation: The basic act regulating inland fisheries is the Protection and Conservation of Fish Act (1950) , as amended by the Protection and Conservation (Amendment) Ordinance (1982) and implemented by the Protection and Conservation of Fish Rules (1985) . The Marine Fisheries Ordinance (1983) , as implemented by the Marine Fisheries Rules (1983) , is the basic act regulating marine fisheries Other legislation that is relevant to aquaculture includes the Tanks Improvement Act (1939) , which provides for the improvement of tanks for irrigation and aquaculture purposes. The Shrimp Culture Users Tax Ordinance (1992) stipulates that shrimp cultivation areas developed by the government by construction of embankments, excavation of canals or other water management structures shall be liable to payment of
tax.Development Corporation (BFDC), established under the Bangladesh Fisheries Development Corporation Act (1973) , supports DoF in developing the fishing industry. Applied research , education and training: Formal fisheries education and research first began at the Faculty of Fisheries, Bangladesh Agricultural University in Mymensingh in 1967, the faculty offers B.Sc. Fisheries (eight semesters), M.Sc. (three semesters) and Ph.D. degrees in various specialized areas of fisheries and aquaculture. Recent Major project Activities of Faculty of Fisheries, BAU: Name of the PI Title of the Project 1. Enhancement of maturation for spontaneous spawning fatty acid Prof. Dr. Md. Fazul Awal Mollah Dept. of Fisheries Biology & Genetics 2. Rui genetics-BAU-worldfish-BFRI Prof. Dr. Md. Rafiqul Islam Sarder Dept. of Fisheries Biology & Genetics 3. Conservation of three indigenous endangered fish species Tengra (Mystus vittatus), Gulsha (Mystus cavasius) and Bata (Labeo bata) through cryopreservation of sperm Prof. Dr. Md. Rafiqul Islam Sarder Dept. of Fisheries Biology & Genetics 4. nfluence of chemicals and drugs on microbial flora used Prof. Dr. Md. Ali Reza Farukindiscriminately in aquaculture Dept. of Aquaculture 5. Histological study of gamesomeness in riverine and marine Prof. Dr. Harunnur Rashid populations of Tenualosa ilisha in Bangladesh Dept. of Fisheries Management 6. Utilization of Pangus, Tilapia and other fish processing Prof. Dr. A K M Nowsad Alam wastes into value-added products Dept. of Fisheries Technology Source: Annual Workshop On BAU RESEARCH PROGRESS 2014-15 Later, the Institute of Marine Science was established at Chittagong University in 1973, followed by the Fisheries and Marine Science discipline in Khulna University in 1991, the Department of Aquaculture and Fisheries at Dhaka University in 1998 and the Department of Aquaculture at Rajshahi University in 2000 for fisheries education and research. The Bangladesh Agricultural University offers training to the Government and NGO fisheries officers through its Graduate Training Institute, other institutes offering fisheries education and training are the Marine Fisheries Academy, Chittagong which offers 1–2 year diploma courses, the Fisheries Training Academy at Savar, Dhaka, the Fisheries Training Institute, Chandpur, offers 1–3 months training.

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Evolution of fisheries sector in Bangladesh

  • 1. Bangladesh is a densely populated country of 147 570 km2 with a population of 160 million people. It is fortunate in having an extensive water resource in the form of ponds, natural depressions (haors and beels ), lakes, canals, rivers and estuaries covering an area of 47,03,658 ha . The present per capita annual fish consumption in Bangladesh stands at about 14 kg/year against a recommended minimum requirement of 18 kg/year; hence, there is still need to improve fish consumption in the country. Fisheries in Bangladesh are diverse, there are about 795 native species of fish and shrimp in the fresh and marine waters of Bangladesh and 12 exotic species that have been introduced. In addition, there are 10 species of pearl bearing bivalves, 12 species of edible tortoise and turtle, 15 species of crab and 3 species of lobster. History and general overview: The origin and development of Fisheries in Bangladesh are not well documented; historically the country's natural water bodies were stocked during the monsoon season through natural spawning. Fish farming had been a traditional practice dating back several centuries to when the country was ruled by Hindu kings It was one Dr. Nazir Ahmed (1947–1960), the then Director of Fisheries in East Pakistan who laid the formal foundation for fish culture in ponds and lakes within Bangladesh. Dr. Ahmed worked keenly on the development of large scale carp culture in ponds and lakes and by the late sixties and early seventies some progress had been made in this area. In the late sixties Ali (1967) successfully carried out induced breeding of Indian major carp species using carp pituitary gland extracts, over the last few decades, however, natural breeding grounds and fish habitats in Bangladesh have been degraded considerably by the development of flood control measures which, as a consequence, have resulted in a decline in natural fish production. As a result government, NGOs and private entrepreneurs have come forward to develop improved fish culture techniques especially in ponds and lakes. On the basis of habitat you can classify two types of aquaculture being carried out in Bangladesh; freshwater and coastal aquaculture; there is no marine aquaculture production currently. Freshwater aquaculture comprises mainly pond aquaculture especially the polyculture of both native and exotic species; on the other hand, coastal aquaculture is comprised mainly of shrimp farming. In Bangladesh, aquaculture production systems are mainly extensive and extended extensive, with some semi-intensive and in very few cases intensive systems Table : Comparison of the profitability between different types of aquaculture production systems in Bangladesh (ICLARM, 2002)
  • 2. – Annual yield(kg/ha) Operating cost(US$/ha) Net profit(US$/ha) Carp polyculture 4 000 1 840 2 241 Tilapia monoculture 4 050 453 1 420 Integrated rice-fish culture 1 440 453 400 Feed and labor comprise the two most important components of the total operating cost for most culture systems in Bangladesh, each accounting for approximately 20 percent and 17 percent, respectively of the total operating costs. The species cultured in the coastal regions of Bangladesh include mainly tiger prawn but also prawn, brown shrimp, white shrimp, mud crab, giant sea perch and yellow tail mullet. Human resource: Fisheries and aquaculture play a major role in nutrition, employment and foreign exchange earnings with about 12 million people are associated with the fisheries sector, of which 1.4 million people rely exclusively on fisheries related activities. There are 3.08 million fish farmers, 1.28 million inland fishermen and 0.45 million fry collectors (fish and shrimp) in Bangladesh (DOF, 2003) and it is estimated that fisheries and related activities support more than 7 percent of the country's population. Currently, more than 600 000 people are engaged in shrimp farming activities (Karim, 2003), it is also estimated that around 14 000 fishermen (2.5 fishers per ha water body) are directly involved and 70 000 rural people are the direct beneficiaries of oxbow lake fisheries . Farming system distribution and characteristics: Table : Freshwater pond farming systems as defined in the context of Bangladesh Farming systems Farming practices a) Extensive Stocking mainly with the three Indian major carp species, no fertilisation and feeding. b) Extended extensive Stocking mainly with the three Indian major and three exotic (silver, common and grass) carps, irregular use of fertilisation (mostly cow dung) but without feeding. Silver barb is also occasionally stocked. c) Semi- intensive  Stage 1: Stocking mainly with the three Indian major and three exotic carps. Regular use of fertilizer with occasional use of low quality supplemental feed consisting of rice bran and oil cakes. Silver barb is generally stocked and also freshwater prawn and Nile tilapia.  Stage 2: Stocking mainly with the three Indian major and three exotic carps. Regular use of fertilizer and supplemental feed. Silver barb is generally stocked and also freshwater prawn and Nile tilapia and striped catfish.  Stage 3: Monoculture of striped catfish. Regular feeding with rice bran/wheat bran/oil cakes and/or commercially manufactured
  • 3. pelleted diet. d) Intensive Monoculture of striped catfish. Regular feeding with commercially manufactured pelleted diet. Pond aquaculture: There are an estimated 1.3 million fish ponds in the country, covering an area of 0.151 million ha, of which 55.30 percent is cultured, 28.52 percent is culturable and 16.18 percent is unused. In 2002 the percentage of production from the above three systems was 72.09, 20.01 and 7.90 respectively (BBS, 2002). In Bangladesh, the highest number of ponds exists in the Barisal district (12.11percent), followed by Comilla (9.36 percent), Sylhet (9.10 percent), Chittagong (8.02 percent) and Noakhali (7.75 percent) (BBS, 2002). . The polyculture of major and exotic carps and monoculture of striped catfish (Pangasius hypophthalmus ), Nile tilapia and Java barb (Barbonymus gonionotus ) and to some extent catfish (Clarias batrachus ) are the most widely practiced culture system in Bangladesh. Three Indian major carps namely, Labeo rohita , Catla catla and Cirrhinus mrigala and one exotic carp, Hypophthalmichthys molitrix now account for more than 78 percent of total pond production . Shrimp farming: Shrimp farming in the south and southeastern coastal belt of Bangladesh began in the early 1970s. From less than 20 000 ha of brackishwater ponds in 1980, the area under cultivation expanded to approximately 140 000 ha by 1995 .DoF (2005) estimated that the total area under farming has expanded to 203 071 ha in 2003–2004. The major shrimp producing districts are Bagerhat, Satkhira, Pirojpur, Khulan, Cox's Bazar and Chittagong, recently farmers especially in the Bagerhat and Pirojpur districts have begun shrimp farming in their paddy fields. Traditionally shrimp farming began by trapping tidal waters in nearby coastal enclosures known as 'gher' where no feed, fertilizers or other inputs were applied. Semi intensive farming began in 1993 in the Cox's Bazar region, with this system ponds were stocked with 10–35 post larvae (PL)/m2 using supplemental pellet feed but without reservoir tanks Fish culture in cages: Cage culture was introduced into Bangladesh in the late 1970s on an experimental basis, a series of experiments were conducted at the Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) which demonstrated the potential of cage aquaculture. The Department of Fisheries conducted a cage culture project in Kaptai lake during 1985–86 achieving a production of 6 900 tonnes of fish (Hasan, 1990). CARE, an international NGO, initiated a project at the end of 1995 until 2000, supported by the Department for International Development (DFID) named Cage Aquaculture for Greater Economic Security (CAGES).
  • 4. Integrated fish farming: The integration of aquaculture with duck and chicken production was begun experimentally at the BFRI, Mymensingh producing some promising results. The project demonstrated that 500 khaki Campbell ducks can be profitably raised on a 1 ha carp pond while also producing 4.5 tonnes/ha of fish without any additional need for supplementary feed or fertiliser for the fish. The most promising integrated farming in Bangladesh is rice fish culture. Integrated multi-trophic aquaculture(IMTA): provides the by-products, including waste, from one aquatic species as inputs(fertilizer)for another. In Bangladesh , First developed this design by Dr. M. Mahfujul Haque, Department of Aquaculture, Bangladesh Agricultural University,Mymensingh,2202. Indian Carp and stinging catfish are cultured in Bangladesh, but the methods could be more productive. The pond and cage cultures used are based only on the fish. They don't take advantage of the productivity increases that could take place if other tropic levels were included. Expensive artificial feeds are used, partly to supply the fish with protein. These costs could be reduced if freshwater snails, such as Viviparus bengalensis, were simultaneously cultured, thus increasing the available protein. The organic and inorganic wastes produced as a byproduct of culturing could also be minimized by integrating freshwater snail and aquatic plants, such as water spinach, respectively. Figure : Off-bottom snail grown on bamboo split in IMTA
  • 5. Fish culture in ox-bow lakes The most successful example of culture based fisheries has been accomplished in oxbow lakes located in Southwest Bangladesh (Hasan and Middendrop, 1998, Hasan, 2001a). There are approximately 600 oxbow lakes in Bangladesh with an estimated water area of 5 488 ha (DoF, 2003). Most of these oxbow lakes are located in five districts of southwest Bangladesh (Khulna division: Jessore, Jhinaidah, Chuadanga and Kushtia districts and Dhaka division: Faridpur district). Fish farming in Kaptai Lake The Kaptai Lake was created in 1961 by damming the river Karnaphuli at Kaptai in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. It covers an area of approximately 68 800 ha, initially the lake operated a capture only fishery, however, a regular stocking program of about 35 tonnes of carp juveniles per annum is now carried out as a part of a fisheries management program. The species used for stocking are the three major carps and exotic carps (silver, grass and common carps) . The lake also contains 76 other freshwater fish species, of which 68 are indigenous and the rest are exotic, in addition, there are also a few species of freshwater prawn. Cultured Species: A total of 260 fish species have been recorded in the freshwaters of Bangladesh (Rahman, 1989) of these it is estimated that about 200 species are truly freshwater while the rest are examples of estuarine and marine species. Practices /System of Culture: Traditional methods of fish culture in ponds do not use inputs or at least only minimal inputs through the natural recruitment of young fish. Polyculture of native and exotic carps is a popular technology used by many farmers throughout the country, in such systems pond preparation, species selection, stocking density, the application of feed, fertilizers, water exchange and proper husbandry are generally maintained. In general fish culture in Bangladesh is characterized by the use of both extensive and semi-intensive systems. Production:
  • 6. Contribution of the economy: The fisheries sector is currently contributing 3.8 percent of the GDP. Fish provide 55 percent of animal protein intake in Bangladesh. (Source: www.fao.org)
  • 7. The institutional framework: The following institutional bodies are involved in aquaculture and fisheries in Bangladesh: 1.The Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock (MoFL), 2.Department of Fisheries (DoF),3. Bangladesh Fisheries Development Corporation (BFDC) and 4. the Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute (BFRI) are the main organizations responsible for aquaculture and its development. The country's universities are responsible for higher level fisheries education.  1. Faculty of Fisheries , Bangladesh Agricultural University ,mymensingh.  2.Department of Fisheries ,University of Dhaka, Dhaka  3.Faculty of Fisheries, Hajee Mohammad Danesh science and Technology ,Dinajpur.  4. Fisheries and Marine Resource Technology discipline ,Khulna University, Khulna.  5. Faculty of Fisheries, Sylhet Agricultural University ,Sylhet.  6. Institute of Marine Science and Fisheries , University of Chittagong ,Chittagong.  7. Bangladesh Marine Fisheries Academy, Chittagong.  8. Faculty of Fisheries ,Bangabandhu sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University, Salna, Gazipur  9. Department of Aquaculture and Fisheries, Jessore University of Science and Technology, Jessore.  10. Department of Fisheries and Marine Science ,Noakhali Science and Technology University, Noakhali.  11. Faculty of Fisheries , Patuakhali Science and Technology University,Patuakhali.  12. Sheikh Fajilatunnesa Mujib Fisheries College, Jamalpur.  Bangladesh Krishi (Agriculture) Bank, Bangladesh Samabay (Co-operative) Bank and some other commercial banks are responsible for issuing credit to the aquaculture sector.  Many of the national and international NGO's provides credits to the fish farmers and as well as takes up projects for aquaculture extension and development.  International organizations (DFID, Danida, NORAD, JICA, World Bank, IMF, ADB etc.) provide grants and credits for aquaculture development.  Youth Development Training Centers, under the Ministry of Youth, deals with extension and the training of unemployed young people and fish farmers. The governing regulation: The basic act regulating inland fisheries is the Protection and Conservation of Fish Act (1950) , as amended by the Protection and Conservation (Amendment) Ordinance (1982) and implemented by the Protection and Conservation of Fish Rules (1985) . The Marine Fisheries Ordinance (1983) , as implemented by the Marine Fisheries Rules (1983) , is the basic act regulating marine fisheries Other legislation that is relevant to aquaculture includes the Tanks Improvement Act (1939) , which provides for the improvement of tanks for irrigation and aquaculture purposes. The Shrimp Culture Users Tax Ordinance (1992) stipulates that shrimp cultivation areas developed by the government by construction of embankments, excavation of canals or other water management structures shall be liable to payment of
  • 8. tax.Development Corporation (BFDC), established under the Bangladesh Fisheries Development Corporation Act (1973) , supports DoF in developing the fishing industry. Applied research , education and training: Formal fisheries education and research first began at the Faculty of Fisheries, Bangladesh Agricultural University in Mymensingh in 1967, the faculty offers B.Sc. Fisheries (eight semesters), M.Sc. (three semesters) and Ph.D. degrees in various specialized areas of fisheries and aquaculture. Recent Major project Activities of Faculty of Fisheries, BAU: Name of the PI Title of the Project 1. Enhancement of maturation for spontaneous spawning fatty acid Prof. Dr. Md. Fazul Awal Mollah Dept. of Fisheries Biology & Genetics 2. Rui genetics-BAU-worldfish-BFRI Prof. Dr. Md. Rafiqul Islam Sarder Dept. of Fisheries Biology & Genetics 3. Conservation of three indigenous endangered fish species Tengra (Mystus vittatus), Gulsha (Mystus cavasius) and Bata (Labeo bata) through cryopreservation of sperm Prof. Dr. Md. Rafiqul Islam Sarder Dept. of Fisheries Biology & Genetics 4. nfluence of chemicals and drugs on microbial flora used Prof. Dr. Md. Ali Reza Farukindiscriminately in aquaculture Dept. of Aquaculture 5. Histological study of gamesomeness in riverine and marine Prof. Dr. Harunnur Rashid populations of Tenualosa ilisha in Bangladesh Dept. of Fisheries Management 6. Utilization of Pangus, Tilapia and other fish processing Prof. Dr. A K M Nowsad Alam wastes into value-added products Dept. of Fisheries Technology Source: Annual Workshop On BAU RESEARCH PROGRESS 2014-15 Later, the Institute of Marine Science was established at Chittagong University in 1973, followed by the Fisheries and Marine Science discipline in Khulna University in 1991, the Department of Aquaculture and Fisheries at Dhaka University in 1998 and the Department of Aquaculture at Rajshahi University in 2000 for fisheries education and research. The Bangladesh Agricultural University offers training to the Government and NGO fisheries officers through its Graduate Training Institute, other institutes offering fisheries education and training are the Marine Fisheries Academy, Chittagong which offers 1–2 year diploma courses, the Fisheries Training Academy at Savar, Dhaka, the Fisheries Training Institute, Chandpur, offers 1–3 months training.