Fisheries department initiates process to procure 3 fishing vessels

Highlights

• Fish provides about 60 percent of our daily diet
• 3.50 percent of the country's GDP and about one-fourth of total agricultural income comes from the fisheries sector
• Over the last 10 years, average GDP growth in this sector achieved 5.26 percent

Though Bangladesh's territorial water issues with Myanmar and India were solved by the International Court of Justice six years ago, it is not yet possible to catch fish in the deep sea due to a lack of skills and adequate vessels.

However, the Department of Fisheries has taken the initiative to procure three longliner fishing vessels to extract tuna and similar fish from the deep sea and international territorial waters.

A project in this regard will be presented to the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) on Tuesday for approval, according to Planning Commission sources. One-hundred fishermen will also be trained in deep-sea fishing under this Tk61-crore-project.

Private investment in the collection of tuna and homogeneous fish from the deep sea will also be encouraged in this Extraction of Tuna and Homogeneous Pelagic Fish pilot project in the deep sea.

Deep-sea fishing strategies and action plans will also be formulated. The project proposal also mentions that 37 local and seven international consultants will be appointed.

According to people concerned, as the border of Bangladesh has been determined in the Bay of Bengal by the International Court of Justice, legal and fair rights have been established for fishing in a 1,17,613 square kilometre area. The project is being prioritised to utilise the huge marine resources.

The project will be implemented by the Department of Fisheries at the initiative of the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock. The project is targeted to be completed between July 2020 and June 2023.

According to the Department of Fisheries, the extraction of marine fisheries through the small-scale fisheries sector of Bangladesh is mainly confined to shallow areas of the sea. In many cases, fish conservation laws are not properly enforced. As a result, the entry of juvenile fish in fish stocks is severely hampered.

The contribution of the fisheries sector to the food security and economic development of Bangladesh is very important. Fish provides about 60 percent of our daily diet.

According to the Bangladesh Economic Survey 2019, 3.50 percent of the country's GDP and about one-fourth of the total agricultural income comes from the fisheries sector.

Over the last 10 years, average GDP growth of this sector achieved 5.26 percent.