Commercial vessels caught 146,037 tons of sea fish in FY23, but the number dropped to 114,804 tons in FY24, signifying a 21.39% decrease year-on-year
Kajoli Akhter, 47 – a resident of Dhaka’s Mirpur-2 area – has been suffering from thyroid disease for years. Her doctor has advised a sea fish diet, and market availability has never been a problem for Kajoli, until in recent years.
It has now become an uphill battle for her to find sea fish in city markets. Some days, she does not find any sea fish at all and must return home empty-handed.
Speaking recently to The Climate Watch at Mirpur-10 fish market, Kajoli said, “I have been eating sea fish for years. But their supply to the city markets has been decreasing steadily. I prefer sea shrimp, lakkha, sardines, and poa fish.
“Sometimes alternatives are available, but in very limited quantities.”
Fish traders are iterating the same issue. Babul Mia, a fish trader in the capital’s Karwan Bazar, stated, “Poa fish is unavailable right now. Other sea fish can be found for sale in the market, but some types are no longer available.
“Even though there is public demand, we cannot do anything about the supply.”
Fishermen and local traders from Chattogram, Cox’s Bazar and Patuakhali echoed the same. Data collected by the government also indicate that marine fish extraction in the country has steadily declined, and some varieties are no longer commercially available.
A closer look
According to the Marine Fisheries Office – operating under the Department of Fisheries, commercial vessels caught 146,037 tons of sea fish in the fiscal year 2022-23. In the fiscal year 2023-24, the catch volume decreased by 31,233 tons to 114,804 tons, signifying a 21.39% decrease year-on-year.
According to regulations, fish are caught from the sea for six months every year. Fishermen claim the catch volume has decreased due to the increase in jellyfish population throughout Bangladeshi waters during fishing season.
Scientists have warned for years that the volume of fish in the Bay of Bengal is decreasing, and some marine fish species are on the verge of extinction due to overfishing. Researchers are also blaming climate change-induced rise in sea temperature for the dip in marine fish population.
Deep sea fishing is usually conducted with industrial trawlers, while fishermen in the coastal areas utilise fishing boats.
Data shows 263 commercial trawlers are currently registered with the Department of Fisheries. Among those, about 220 frequently go to the sea to fish. Around 66,000 motorized vessels also have approval for marine fishing.
Among commercial vessels, the maximum fish-catching capacity of wooden vessels is around 45-50 tons, while it is 400-450 tons for the steel-bodied vessels.
What’s the issue?
There are concerns that the fish population of Bay of Bengal may disappear if indiscriminate, uncontrolled, and illegal marine fishing are not stopped. Researchers are assessing the ongoing situation through research and surveys.
Addressing this issue, Marine Fisheries Survey Management Unit Principal Scientific Officer Dilip Kumar Saha said, “Fish are moving to other areas due to rising sea temperatures, and more disturbance by fishermen in a particular region.
“Pollution is a major factor as well. The jellyfish population in the region has gone up too.”
Soumitra Chowdhury, a scientific officer at the Biological Oceanography Department under Bangladesh Oceanographic Research Institute, is researching jellyfish. He found that the abundance of jellyfish has increased mainly due to the decrease in other fish in the sea.
Rising sea temperatures are beneficial for jellyfish. Sixteen species of jellyfish are found in the Bay of Bengal, and their numbers are now higher than ever before. Jellyfish are getting food from pollution, as there is a lot of dumping in the sea.
The ecological balance in the Bay of Bengal is at serious risk.
Soumitra pointed out, “The jellyfish are getting a suitable environment for breeding. There are two key reasons for the increase in jellyfish numbers in this region. One is overfishing, and the other is utilizing the wrong type of fishing nets.
“The fishing nets are supposed to have holes that allow turtle species to escape. Big-sized fish and turtles eat jellyfish. Without them, jellyfish numbers will continue to increase. If the jellyfish population continues to go up steadily, other fish populations could drop at an alarming rate.”
Abu Sharif Md Mahbub-e-Kibria, chief of Environmental Oceanography and Climate Department at Bangladesh Oceanographic Research Institute, said, “Pollution is having an adverse effect on the life of marine species.
“Vessels moving in the sea are polluting the waters. Garbage is being dumped in the sea.”
He continued, “Environmental pollution is rising in the region, and it is affecting marine life. Sometimes oil is also dumped in the sea. There is a lot of vessel traffic and overfishing in our coastal area.
“The fish are losing the necessary environment to thrive. White and pink dolphins could be seen during the Covid-19 pandemic, but this is no longer the case. Noise pollution, rising human population, and light pollution leave no safe environment for the marine fish.”
Which species are disappearing?
The Marine Affairs Unit – operating under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs – have so far identified 347 species of marine fish, 498 species of oysters, 52 species of shrimp, 5 species of lobster, 6 species of crab, 220 species of seaweed, and 61 species of seagrass have been identified in the 118,813 square kilometer Bangladeshi waters across the Bay of Bengal.
Among the marine fish population, lakkha, sardine, poa, latiya, foli chanda, harina shrimp and kata species population have decreased at an alarming rate.
Researchers say there is a substantial risk of any fish species becoming commercially extinct due to overfishing, and complete extinction if protective measures are not taken.
According to the Department of Fisheries, commercial vessels harvested 2,368 tons of hilsa in the fiscal year 2023-24, the lowest in the last 9 years.
Meanwhile, the harvest of sardines – a fish similar to hilsa – has decreased by more than half. In the fiscal year 2022-23, fishermen caught 50,783 tons of sardines, but the number dipped to 23,065 tons in fiscal year 2023-24.
Harvest of shrimps has fallen to its lowest level in the last decade. Only 1,954 tons of shrimp were caught in the fiscal year 2023-24.
Speaking on the matter, Cox’s Bazar District Fishing Boat Owners Association General Secretary Delwar Hossain said, “The population of several types of fish, such as lakkha, ghuizza, tailya and rupchanda have decreased by a lot.
“Many fishermen have now stopped fishing. Because marine fishing is a costly endeavor and returning empty handed causes losses to mount.”
Mannan Mia, 63 – a resident of Kuakata in Kalapara upazila of Patuakhali – has been fishing for 41 years. He says, “We can barely find med fish, hilsa, kharak, lakkha, tengra, and shrimp in the sea. Many species of fish are no longer available. Their names are all that are left of them.
“This is why the price of fish has been skyrocketing. The number of fishermen has gone up significantly, while the fish population has gone down. I hear that the fishing of many species has been banned. The situation is dire.”
Subrata Sarkar, chief of the Oceanography Department at Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, is researching marine life in the Bay of Bengal.
He stated, “Some species of fish – like the Sawfish – have almost disappeared from the region. Fishermen are also catching endangered species that are illegal to fish. However, the decrease in oxygen level at the Bay of Bengal is minimal and not alarming.
“The increase in salinity – triggered by the rising sea level due to climate change – is the real culprit. This is causing problems for the fish and other marine life. The temperature is rising, so productivity is decreasing.”
Subrata added that although there is no concrete data on the impact of climate change in Bangladesh, the change in marine environment is noticeable.
While collecting research samples, Subrata learned that fishermen are catching baby sharks, rita, and shapalpata fish, which is prohibited in Bangladesh. Many species of fish population have decreased dramatically.
3 key reasons behind crisis
Speaking to The Climate Watch, fisheries, local traders, marine scientists, and researchers have produced three key reasons behind the decline in marine fish population – overfishing, pollution, and impacts of climate change.
Climate change is causing the oxygen level to decrease and temperature to increase in some marine regions. These two factors have caused an infestation of jellyfish, which in turn has triggered a crisis among the marine fish population.
Because of the jellyfish, other marine life is moving elsewhere. As a result, the fish population is decreasing across Bangladeshi waters.
Experts say it is crucial to raise public awareness against overfishing, and the government must take effective steps in this regard.
Marine scientist Dr Saidur Rahman Chowdhury, also a professor at the Institute of Marine Science under Chattogram University, said, “Expensive and large-sized fish species such as lakkha, maitta, tailya, rupchanda and poa have become exceedingly rare.
“From market observation, we have been witnessing a shortage of several fish species for years. Supply in the market has gone down significantly due to their reduced quantity in the sea. Many species of shrimp are also under the threat of extinction.”
In Bangladesh, wooden trawlers, medium trawlers, and industrial trawlers are utilized for traditional marine fishing. Many traditional fishermen complain that industrial trawlers are using sonar systems to catch entire schools of fish along with their offspring.
This is a major reason behind the recent decline in marine fish population. Meanwhile, environmental scientists also blame the increase in pollution as the main reason for the decline in fish in the sea.
Assistant Researcher at the Eco Fish Project under World Fish Md Bakhtiar Rahman said, “According to a study conducted by Chattogram University, and published in 2020, there are 475 species of fish in the sea region of Bangladesh.
“Recent surveys show that the fish population of a number of species have decreased, while some have decreased by a lot.”
He added, “After speaking to more than five hundred fishermen, we learned that chandana hilsa, bilai poma, nangla, kaua, tengra, and ekthota fish have disappeared completely. Plastic pollution, illegal fishing nets, and discarding torn nets in the sea are responsible for this decline.
“Climate change too is having an overall impact.”
Bakhtiar then said, “Sea level has increased due to climate change. Harmful ammonia gas is increasing, which is damaging the environment. As the temperature increases, oxygen decreases.
“Average sea temperatures are increasing due to pollution. As many marine animals become extinct, the food chain becomes unbalanced. Turtles are being killed, so the jellyfish population is now unchecked. Jellyfish eat larval fish, crabs, and shrimps.”
