Community Based Fish Culture in Seasonal Floodplains in Bangladesh

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Community Based Fish Culture in Seasonal Floodplains in

Bangladesh

Benoy Kumar Barman, Fazlur Rahman and Mahfuzul Haque


Floodplains in Bangladesh

Bangladesh Area: 143000 km2, Popn 160 mInland water: 4.58 m ha (Open water 4.05 m ha – 88% and closed water 0.53 m ha -12%)Floodplain: 2.8 million ha 62% of inland water

Livelihoods of 1.28 m people depends largely fishing in floodplains resources


Hold water 4-6 months during monsoon

normally use as CPR

Lands use for rice cultivation in dry months by individual land owners

Seasonal floodplains


o Leased to fishers – taken up by influential, use for fish culture with increase production and income but limiting access and benefits of the poor - fishers and other users

o Not leased - encroachment and land grabbing by private land owners

o Some leased to fishers - managing under CBFM program

Public floodplains


Private floodplains• CPR in monsoon – over exploitation, very low prod • Fish culture by individual owner/s, companies use as large close systems - increase fish production and income but there is risk of loss of access by poor, adversely affect on biodiversity of natural fisheries

Institution o Weak institution with poor governanceo Problem in Leadership, less transparent to members o Less active participation of memberso Poor linkages with support providerso Due to weak institution some cases public floodplains leased to fishers group are taken up by influential people


o CP35 project of CPWF (Phase 1) implemented in Bangladesh, China, Vietnam, Cambodia and Mali from 2005-2010 o Bangladesh – the major focus was on fish culture in seasonal floodplains using community based approacho Objective/Purpose: To develop appropriate technical and institutional options of use of floodplains to increase water productivity, income and benefits of the poor in a sustainable way.

o Partners: WorldFish (lead), BARC, DoF, BFRI and Universities (Bangladesh and abroad)

Community Based Fish Culture (CBFC) in seasonal floodplains


*

Rajshahi

Rangpur

Mymensingh

Floodplain Area (ha)

Ownership

Beel Mail

40 Public-private

Chandpur Beel

50 Public-private

Kalmina Beel

33 Private

Andula Beel

16 Private

Angrar Beel

31 Private

Painglar Beel

20 Private

CBFC in seasonal floodplains – study areas


Activities

o Selected suitable floodplains and communities with willingness to participate o Formed FMC based on new or existing society and do regular meeting with them o Constructed simple water control structure in inlets/outlets o Set large meshed bamboo fence in inlet/outlet o Stocked large size fingerlings of suitable species


Activities

o Mobile guarding o Regulate use of gearso Partial harvestingo Exchange visitso Awareness meeting o Monitoring and data collectiono Events for distribution of benefits


• Fish production increased to 691 kg.ha-1 (baseline 282 kg.ha-1)

• Gross income increased to US$ 470.ha-1 (baseline US$ 192.ha-1)

• Net income increased from US$ 55.6 to 277.8.ha-1

• Rice production from increased from 6.25 t.ha-1 to7.24 t.ha-1 related to improve water management and increase in soil fertility

Outputs


CBFC – Institutional outcomes

Ensure access and rights over floodplains and benefits of the poor – fishers, landless non-fishers

Establish good governance - leadership and facilitation support,develop/strengthen local level institutions (fishers’ society, FMC)

Select leaders in democratic way with having voice of the poor

Select good leader - transparency in investment and equity in distribution of benefits


CBFC – institutional outcomes

Build up strong linkages with support providers

Execute regulation in use of destructive gears, control illegal entrance of outsiders

Develop effective fish harvest and market strategy

Develop strategy for distribution of income among members keeping necessary capital for re-investment

Encourage members to take part in nursing of fingerlings for supply to get benefit


CBFC – technological outcomes

Retaining more water with simple water control structures in inlets/outlets useful for both fish and supplementary irrigation of rice

Stocking large size fingerlings and setting of large meshed bamboo fences in inlets/outlets

Rear fingerling by members establishing own nurseries and transport by using local devices


• Multiple benefits – increase production of stocked and small non-stocked wild fish, income, employment and nutrition by increased fish consumption

• Landless non-fishers catch non-stocked small fish using local gears throughout the season

• Fishers get 50% of non-stocked small fish 10-20% stocked fish for fishing

CBFC – multiple benefits


Dhaka

CPWF RIU – Adaptive scaling out (Jan 2012- April 2014)

10 representative areas:5 for CBFC5 for IFM

Each of these areas: one focus CBO/

enterprise for adapting good practices

5-10 other CBOs/ enterprises for learning

CBFC

IFM


Community Based Fish Culture in Seasonal Floodplains in Bangladesh

Technology

suitable floodplains

floodplains resources

poor fishers

poor fishers

ha 1to7

cases public floodplains

private floodplains

fish production