Assessment of fishing gears, crafts, and socio-economic status of the Hilsa (Tenualosa ilisha) fishers’ community near the Meghna River, Bangladesh

Fatematuzzahara Anny; Aslam Hossain Sheikh; Bhaskar Chandra Majumdar; Md. Golam Rasul; Murshida Khan; Farhana Haque; A. K. M. Azad Shah

doi:10.3153/AR24018

EN

Assessment of fishing gears, crafts, and socio-economic status of the Hilsa (Tenualosa ilisha) fishers’ community near the Meghna River, Bangladesh

Abstract

An evaluation was conducted to assess the current state of fishing gears, crafts, and socio-economic aspects among the Hilsa (Tenualosa ilisha Hamilton, 1822) fishers communities residing along the Meghna River region in Gazaria and Munshiganj Sadar Upazila, located in the district of Munshiganj, Bangladesh. About 150 fishers were interviewed using pre-tested questionnaires from selected areas from July 2019 to June 2020, and the data that was obtained was analysed using appropriate statistical tools. The methods employed for Hilsa fishing included the use of drift gill nets (known as Ilish jal, Fash jal, and Poa jal) and seine nets (referred to as Jagat ber jal), while the crafts utilised were Chandi boat and Donga. Most fishers were 31-40 years old (53.33%) in Ismanirchar and (46.67%) in Kalirchar village. Many fishers were Hindus (80%) in Ismanirchar and Muslims (96%) in Kalirchar. Regarding educational level, 69.33% and 70.67% of fishers in Ismanirchar and Kalirchar can only sign, respectively. Semi-earthen toilets were the primary type of sanitary facilities found in the area. Approximately half of the fishers residing in the two villages owned land ranging from 0 to 15 decimals. A significant portion, around 80%, relied on loans from non-governmental organisations (NGOs), while the remaining fishers obtained financial assistance from their neighbours. Hilsa fishing was found to be the main occupation in the study area. The fishers' income increased from September to November and March to May. The primary issues identified included extortion from local criminal groups, insufficient access to credit, absence of proper storage facilities, ongoing conflicts between professional and non-professional fishers, as well as tensions between Muslim and Hindu fishers. To improve their socio-economic situation and ensure sustainable livelihoods, fishers require more institutional support, better organisation, enhanced technical assistance, and increased access to credit.

Keywords

Ethical Statement

This study does not require ethics committee permission or any special permission.

Thanks

The authors express their gratitude to the fishers residing in Ismanirchar and Kalirchar villages, as well as to the District Fisheries Officer (DFO) and Upazila Fisheries Officer (UFO), for their invaluable support and provision of essential information during the data collection process.

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Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Aquaculture and Fisheries (Other)

Journal Section

Research Article

Authors

Fatematuzzahara Anny
0000-0002-9238-7462
Bangladesh

Aslam Hossain Sheikh
0000-0001-7668-9412
Bangladesh

Bhaskar Chandra Majumdar ^*
0000-0001-6607-0827
Bangladesh

Md. Golam Rasul
0000-0002-9057-6470
Bangladesh

Murshida Khan
0000-0002-6239-2180
Bangladesh

Farhana Haque
0000-0003-0686-7775
Bangladesh

A. K. M. Azad Shah
0000-0002-2225-949X
Bangladesh

Early Pub Date

September 13, 2024

Publication Date

October 6, 2024

Submission Date

April 17, 2024

Acceptance Date

May 13, 2024

Published in Issue

Year 2024 Volume: 7 Number: 4

DOI

https://doi.org/10.3153/AR24018

IZ

https://izlik.org/JA57HE92PL

Cite

RIS / Bibtex

APA

Anny, F., Sheikh, A. H., Majumdar, B. C., Rasul, M. G., Khan, M., Haque, F., & Shah, A. K. M. A. (2024). Assessment of fishing gears, crafts, and socio-economic status of the Hilsa (Tenualosa ilisha) fishers’ community near the Meghna River, Bangladesh. Aquatic Research, 7(4), 199-213. https://doi.org/10.3153/AR24018

Öz

Assessment of fishing gears, crafts, and socio-economic status of the Hilsa (Tenualosa ilisha) fishers’ community near the Meghna River, Bangladesh

Abstract

Keywords

Ethical Statement

Thanks

References

Details

Primary Language

Subjects

Journal Section

Authors

Early Pub Date

Publication Date

Submission Date

Acceptance Date

Published in Issue

DOI

IZ

Cite