Community Based Fish Culture & Integrated
Floodplain Management: Leading To
Restoration Ecology and Sustainable
Management of Wetlands in Bangladesh
Benoy Kumar Barman
WorldFish, Bangladesh and South Asia
Inland Open and Closed Water Resources of
Bangladesh
River &
Estuaries ,
22%
Floodplain
, 69%
Shrimp
farm
35%
Beel , 3%
Kaptai
Lake 2%
Oxbow
lake, 1%
Pond
48%
Seasonal
water,
16%
Inland Water: 4.7 m ha; open water 3.9 m ha (84%), closed
water 0.77 million ha (16%)
Contribution in total fish production: Inland open water 29%
and Closed water 53%
Floodplain Fisheries in Bangladesh
• Undervalued but provide essential source of food, income
and livelihoods of millions of people especially the poor
• Conversion for drainage, flood control, intensive agriculture,
changes in nature, land grabbing
• Latest trends conversion of floodplains to use for
aquaculture like closed waters:
o it makes significant increase in fish production and
income
o But floodplain ecosystem is under stress with loss in
diversity of fish, other aquatic animals and plants and
drastic reduction of ecosystem services affecting
negatively the users
o loss of access and benefits of the poor
Floodplain fisheries in Bangladesh – important
source of fish for household consumption and
livelihoods of the poor
CPWF: CBFC in floodplains with DoF, BARC,
BFRI, Local Government involving communities
CBFC: Good harvest 2-3 folds higher than baseline
production based on natural productivity in 5-7 months
CBFC: Generated employments for fishers and
other poor people in the community
Problems encountered in implementing CBFC
in seasonal floodplains
Increased fish production and income but discontinuation
of the activities largely related to poor governance:
 Dominance of the leader
 Lack of equity in distribution of benefits
 Lack of transparency in investment and distribution of
income
 Mistrust among the members and local DoF with the
leader
 Poor coordination of leader with other members in
managing committee of the CBO
 For public owned floodplains losing of leasing rights by
the community due to political influence
Partnership with FHRC
Integrate Community Based Integrated Floodplain
Management (IFM)
Cropping
Pattern
Management
Reduced
Irrigation
Water Demand
More Water
During Dry
Season
Sluice Gate
Management
Connections
during fish
migration
Aquatic Resources
Management &
Conservation
Integrated
CBFC & IFM implemented in 10 Focal and 47 Outreach
sites with support from CPWF, WLE and WorldFish
CBFC & IFM in Floodplains in Bangladesh
o
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
o
Strengthening of CBO
Responsive leadership development
Stakeholder participation – scope to become member of CBO
Maintenance of transparency maintaining proper accounts
and sharing with the members on regularly
Strong executive committee, playing active role in decision
making following democratic process
Registration of the CBOs from competent authority
Increase mutual cooperation among the members
Active participation of the youths
Ensured access and benefits of the poor, fishers, landless,
people as member of the CBOs
CBFC & IFM in Floodplains in Bangladesh
o CBOs followed effective stocking strategies in stocking
of fish fingerlings, strengthened linkages with DoF, Local
Government, hatcheries, fish seed traders and DoF
o Strategies developed for increased production of natural
fish, and other aquatic animals and plants with stocked
fish, water uses for irrigation and crop production
o Improved agrobiodversity: the ecosystem functions
gradually restored and maintained following the
principles of restoration ecology, multiple uses and
diversity in use of resources with increased income,
household nutrition and resilience
CBFC and IFM in Floodplains – Interventions brought
significant increase in production of small fish
o Stocked 528.5 kg mola @ 1kg/ha broodfish total
harvest of small fish 19,293 kg (mola and other
species of small fish)
o Contribution of small fish in total fish production
16% in 2012 increased to 29 % in 2013
o Contribution of small fish in total income 36% in
2013
o Small fish produced largely sold in the local
market but large amount of carps sold in large
cities including Dhaka.
o Increase consumption of small fish by members
of the CBOs and local consumers
Production of small fish (kg) from floodplains
under CBFC & IFM in 2012 and 2013
6000
5619
5000
Yr 2012
Yr 2013
4171
4000
3087
3000
2000
2884
1547
1076
1000
593
487
0
Kola
Khosal
Kalmina
Kokradoba
Production of small fish (in kg) from floodplains
under CBFC & IFM in 2012 and 2013 from Kalmina
Beel Floodplain in Fulbaria, Mymensingh (35ha)
1400
1200
Yr 2012
1000
800
600
400
200
0
Yr 2013
CBFC and IFM in Floodplains – fish harvest from
Kola Beel Floodplain in Bagmara, Rajshahi
CBFC & IFM in Floodplains – presence of aquatic weeds
supporting production of small fish darkina (micronutrient
rich fish), puti, chingri more in Khosal Beel Floodplain in 2013
Increase in production of carps and
carnivorous fish
Adoption for scale-out
o In 2013, CBOs of IFAD funded SCBRM Project of LGED
adopted the approach in 14 floodplains and obtained high
success in production and income benefitting around
10,000 members of poor households.
o LGED in collaboration with WorldFish planning to scaleout the technologies potential floodplains under a large
project called ‘HILIP’ to work with 1000 floodplains in the
Haor regions of Bangladesh to benefit millions of poor
household members within 5-7 years.
o With WorldFish, LGED showed interest to scale out the
technologies in potential floodplains under the ADB
funded Small Scale Irrigation Project throughout the
country again to benefits millions of poor households.
Adoption for scale-out
o EU- Bangladesh showed interest to scale out the
technologies supporting WorldFish and DoF to
include in their upcoming five year planning as they
find it as one of the important ways to reduce
poverty and nutrition of the poor
o The Embassy of Netherlands supported UNDP project
showed interest to include this approach in Village
Conservation Group (VCG)
o USAID Bangladesh made their appreciation about
the importance of the work on CBFC & IFM in
floodplains
o WorldFish under its AAS, CCAFS, A4H programs
looking forward to promote this taking into account
the broader framework including sustainable
aquaculture, ecosystem and resilience
SMALL POND
HABITAT FOR
SIS
RESEARCH
RICE FIELD
HABITAT
ENHANCEMENT
CO-MANAGEMENT
FOR INCREASED
BEEL PRODUCTIVITY
AND DIVERSITY
RICE FIELD FISH
CULTURE
Publication of outcomes
Barman, B. Mazumder B. and Golder I. 2014. Sustainable fish culture management in
floodplains. In a Magazine published on the occasion of National Fish Week 2014, Department
of Fisheries (DoF), 55-57pp
Akhter, S, Barman, B. and Thilstead, S. 2013. Production of micronutrient-rich fish in the
floodplains. In a Magazine published on the occasion of National Fish Week 2013, Department
of Fisheries (DoF), 43-46pp
Kunda, M. Barman, B and xxx 2014. Fish fingerling production in cages by women of poor
fisher households set up in the floodplains in the haor regions of Bangladesh, submitted in
WAS, Australia (submit for publication in Gender Journal)
o Videos: Small fish, big gains in You tube
o Archana’s story: Community Based Fisheries Research From Participants Perspectives:
Development ‘success stories’ from a community’s point of view.
o Success stories: worldfishcenter.org/fish-rice-and-energy
Floodplain Fisheries in Bangladesh
Ratner, B. Barman, Cohen P. Kosal M. Nagoli J. and Allison E. 2012. Strengthening governance
across scales in aquatic agricultural systems. Working Paper. The WorldFish Center, Penang,
Malaysia. AAS-2012-10
Joffre, O. and Sheriff, N. 2011. Conditions for collective action: understanding factors
supporting and constraining community-based fish culture in Bangladesh, Cambodia, and
Vietnam. WorldFish Center Studies and Reviews. The WorldFish Center, Penang, Malaysia. 43p.
Ratner, B. D., P. Cohen, B. Barman, K. Mam, J. Nagoli, and E. H. Allison. 2013. Governance
of aquatic agricultural systems: analyzing representation, power, and accountability. Ecology
and Society 18(4): 59.