Assessment and Analysis of Pond Fisheries in Climate Change Scenario in the Haor Region of Bangladesh

Aims: Water of the haors recedes as the monsoon rains taper down, providing fresh nutrient rich lands for seasonal cultivation including aquaculture. To identify the potential environmental impacts and influence of climate change on the pond fishery in haor region and impact of exotic species on the native and natural species through aquaculture.

Study Design: An investigation on the influence of the pond fishery approach to determine whether the approach is successful with respect to the climate change impacts in the haor area.

Place and Duration of Study: The study sites are located in five haor districts in Bangladesh for a period of one-year (May 2018 – April 2019) covering HILIP working area.

Methodology: The study includes collection and analyses of both quantitative and qualitative data. For quantitative study, 92 sample households in 58 unions of 28 upazilas (sub-districts) in five project districts were selected randomly. Fish catch data, including information on species composition, production and sale were collected from perennial and seasonal ponds. The qualitative primary data obtained through in-depth interviews, key informants interviews and focus group discussions have been used in this paper.

Results: Fish production was found to be better at perennial ponds, but not significantly more than that in the seasonal ponds. However, biodiversity was found to be better in seasonal ponds and greater than that in the perennial ponds. The findings clearly support the observation that pond fish culture is an attractive activity for haor people, especially those who are able to run both perennial and seasonal ponds and manage minimum feeding requirements, maintain those and market the outputs effectively. The present study fills gaps in existing knowledge of fish pond culture diffusion in haor region of Bangladesh.

Conclusions: Pond fishery appears to perform better so, aquaculture production would mitigate some lost capture fisheries in the haor area of Bangladesh. Existing cultural practices could support experimentation and learning under future initiatives in the haor area. Pond fishery in the haor area mainly has an income-generating feature and less probability of being affected by climate change impacts. However, future initiatives should emphasize on culturing fish, which has the potential of balancing the haor ecosystem. The approach should be extended beyond study areas and be adopted as a key strategy for development of haor fisheries resources in Bangladesh.