AN OVERVIEW OF FISH BIODIVERSITY AND SOCIOECONOMIC SITUATION OF THE PADMA RIVER’S FISHER COMMUNITY IN BANGLADESH

Abstract

The current study focused on the status of fishing and livelihood status of fishers through employing household interviews, Focus Group Discussions and key informant interviews at Sujanagar Upazila under the Pabna district. The catch was quite substantial during the period of the study, and fishing operation was especially intense from early hours to midday. There were three main types of gears recorded in this study namely nets, traps, and wounding gears and the most used gear was Thela jal (push net). The result of this research indicates that a total of 33 fish species were identified where 18% of catfish, 31% of carp, 9% of snakehead, 6% of eel, 12% of barbs, clupeids and minnows, 18% of perch and 6% of crustaceans were identified. Fishing is the primary source of income for 68% of the fishermen, which has a serious influence on their livelihood. According to the study’s findings, the majority of fishers (62%) had tin-shaded dwellings and 82% of the fishermen had tube well as the source of drinking water. The fishers’ healthcare facilities were poor. About 66% of fishers got electricity and 54% of them belonged to the medium income (TK. 41,000-70,000/year) group. The overall livelihood condition of the fishers was unsatisfying related to socioeconomic obstacles such as an increase in the number of fishers, limited income, a lack of credible revenue-producing activities, credit issues, infringement, price inflation, and resource disputes among stakeholders. So the comprehensive strategies and their efficient execution are essential for improving fishermen’s livelihood.

Keywords

• fish biodiversity
• fishing gear
• socio-economic status
• padma river