Fisheries & Management Fisheries : Fisheries are concerned with fish or shellfish. They mainly deal with catching, processing, and selling fish. Fisheries are solely related to catching wild fish or raising and harvesting fish through aquaculture or fish farming. Management: Management is the art of getting things done through and with people in formally organized groups. Management is a multipurpose organ that manages business and manages managers and manages workers and work. Management is the art of getting things done through people. Fisheries Management Fisheries management is the activity of protecting fishery resources so sustainable exploitation is possible, drawing on fisheries science, and including the precautionary principle. Modern fisheries management is often referred to as a governmental system of appropriate management rules based on defined objectives and a mix of management means to implement the rules, which are put in place by a system of monitoring control and surveillance. A popular approach is the ecosystem approach to fisheries management. Fisheries Management The working definition of Fisheries Management used by the FAO and much cited elsewhere is: The integrated process of information gathering, analysis, planning, consultation, decision-making, allocation of resources and formulation and implementation, with enforcement as necessary, of regulations or rules which govern fisheries activities in order to ensure the continued productivity of the resources and the accomplishment of other fisheries objectives. Objectives of Fisheries Management According to the FAO, fisheries management should be based on the following objectives: • • • • • Maximize sustainable biomass yield Maximize sustainable economic yield Secure and increase employment Secure protein production and food supplies Increase export income Objectives of Fisheries Management Fisheries objectives need to be expressed in concrete management rules. In most countries fisheries management rules should be based on the internationally agreed, though non-binding, Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries, agreed at a meeting of the U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organization session in 1995. Principles of Fisheries Management Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) advises that a set of working principles should be applied to "highlight the underlying key issues" of fisheries management. There are 8 principles that should be considered as a whole in order to best manage a fishery. Simplification can facilitate understanding important principles and highlighting the broad areas which need attention. A number of key principles can be identified which may serve to focus attention on the starting points for effective fisheries management. Fundamental principles of Fisheries Management Principle Management Function 1 Fish stocks and communities are finite and biological production constrains the potential yield from a fishery. The potential yield needs to be estimated and the biological constraints identified. 2 i) i) Target reference points need to be established through data collection and fisheries assessment; and ii) environmental impacts should be identified and monitored, and the management strategy adjusted in response as necessary. 3 Human consumptive demands on fish resources are fundamentally in conflict with the constraint of maintaining a suitably low risk to the resource. Further, modern technology provides humans with the means, and demand for its benefits provides the motivation, to extract fish biomass at rates much higher than it can be produced Realistic goals and objectives must be set. Achieving the objectives will inevitably require controls on fishing effort and capacity. Biological production of a stock is a function of the size of the stock and, ii) It is also a function of the ecological environment. It is influenced by natural or human-induced changes in the environment. Fundamental principles of Fisheries Management Principle Management Function 4 In a multispecies fishery, which description encompasses almost all fisheries, it is impossible to maximise or optimise the yield from all fisheries simultaneously. Realistic goals and objectives must be established across ecosystems, so as to manage for species and fisheries interactions. 5 Uncertainty pervades fisheries management and hinders informed decision-making. The greater the uncertainty, the more conservative should be the approach (i.e. as uncertainty increases, realised yield as a proportion of estimated maximum average yield should be decreased). Risk assessment and management must be done in development and implementation of management plans, measures and strategies. 6 The short-term dependency of society on a fishery will determine the relative priority of the social and/or economic goals in relation to sustainable utilisation. Fisheries cannot be managed in isolation and must be integrated into coastal zone and fisheries policy and planning and national policies. Fundamental principles of Fisheries Management Principle Management Function 7 A sense of ownership and a long-term stake in the resource for those (individuals, communities or groups) with access are most conducive to maintaining responsible fisheries. System of effective and appropriate access rights must be established and enforced. 8 Genuine participation in the management process by fully-informed users is consistent with the democratic principle, facilitates identification of acceptable management systems and encourages compliance with laws and regulations Communication, consultation and comanagement should underlie all stages of management In keeping with the integrated nature of fisheries ecosystems, these principles cannot be considered in isolation in considering how best to manage fisheries: their implications and consequences overlap, complement and confound each other which is what makes fisheries management so demanding and challenging. Nevertheless, the consequences of the principles for fisheries give rise to the fundamental nature and tasks of fisheries management Climate Change effects in Fisheries Management In the past, changing climate has affected inland and offshore fisheries and such changes are likely to continue. From a fisheries perspective, the specific driving factors of climate change include rising water temperature, alterations in the hydrologic cycle, changes in nutrient fluxes, and relocation of spawning and nursery habitat. Further, changes in such factors would affect resources at all levels of biological organization, including the genetic, organism, population, and ecosystem levels. Understanding how these factors affect fisheries at a more nuanced level stand as challenges that fisheries scientists, across multiple fields, still need to face. Concepts of Inland Fisheries Half of Bangladesh comprises inundated floodplains and wetlands In the monsoon season which form a vast inland fishery. The diversified fisheries resources of the country are divided into three groups, i.e., inland capture, inland culture and marine capture. Inland culture includes mainly pond/ditch, baor, shrimp/prawn farm, seasonal cultured water-body, pen and cage culture etc. covering an area of about 8.36 lakh ha. In addition, cage farming is also popularizing in potential water-bodies. The production from inland fisheries in Bangladesh in 2021-22 was 40.53 lakh MT which is 85.16% of total fish production (47.59 lakh MT). Concepts of Inland Fisheries In 1983-84, the contribution of inland capture and culture fisheries to total fish production were 62.59 percent and 15.53 percent, respectively; whereas in 2021-22, inland capture fisheries contributes only 28 percent (13.22 lakh MT) and inland culture fisheries contributes 57 percent (27.31 lakh MT) to total fish production (47.59 lakh MT). At present improved biological management is the first priority in the development policy that will restrict the declination of resources and enhance production. Development concepts in Inland Fisheries Bangladesh fisheries have ample scope of development to strengthen the national economy. Concerned government departments, development partners, researchers and non-government organizations can play important role in the wideranging advancement of the fisheries sector. For the overall development and management of fisheries sector, DoF formulates and implements development projects under the revenue and development budget toward the sustainable utilization of fisheries resources to ensure food security. Development concepts in Inland Fisheries Several socio-eco-friendly programs have been implemented to increase the productivity of inland open waters in the recent past years. These programs includes mainlycommunity based fisheries management, establishment of beel nurseries, stocking of fingerlings including endangered species, restoration of habitats, establishment and maintenance of sanctuaries, expansion of cage and pen farming in feasible water areas, introduction of coordinated management approach, issuing of fishers identity card and enforcement of fish conservation acts, adoption of climate smart technologies, etc. As a result in many cases fishers’ rights were established and they were motivated for biological management rather than only catching of fish.
