Status of fisheries resource and management approach in the open beels of Bangladesh: a comparative case study

Abstract

A fish catch monitoring program was introduced in Ashura beel, Goakhola beel and Dikshi beel in 1997 through the Community Based Fisheries Management (CBFM) project. The project focused on developing community management approaches which would encourage participation of the fishers, beneficiaries and community in sustainable management of the fishery resources. The present study conducted in all three open beels indicated that the 2002 annual fish production increased by 359 and 222% compared to the base line survey in 1997 in Goakhola and Dikshi beels, respectively, but only 53% in Ashura beel. The catch per person per day increased by 50 and 123% in Goakhola and Dikshi, respectively, but decreased by 40.5% in Ashura beel as compared to the base line catch in 1997. Species diversity was higher in Ashura and Dikshi beels in 2002 than in 1997; however, Goakhola beel was more diverse in 1997. Estimated MSY for Ashura, Goakhola and Dikshi was 48.0, 23.0 and 78.0 tons, and corresponding fishing effort 16452, 7812 and 19984 gear days·year¯¹, respectively. Analysis of effort data indicated that maximum fishing pressure has been reached or exceeded for all three floodplain beels and any further increase in catch effort should be restricted.