COAST Foundation today hosted a seminar titled “Challenges and Way Forward for the Small-Scale Fishers in Bangladesh” at the CIRDAP Auditorium with the support of SwedBio and Sustainable Development Foundation, Thailand. M Rezaul Karim Chowdhury, Executive Director, COAST Foundation moderated the session. He highlighted the urgent need for systemic reforms to support Bangladesh’s 20 million small-scale fishers. Government officials, fisheries experts and fishing community leaders shared insights on sustainable solutions to critical challenges. Ms. Farida Akthar, Honorable Advisor to the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, attended as the chief guest, affirming the ministry’s commitment to expanding support and policies for these communities.
In his keynote, Sanat Kumar Bhowmik, Deputy Executive Director of COAST Foundation, emphasized the socioeconomic contributions of small-scale fishers to Bangladesh’s GDP (3.5%) where 2 crore of people are involved. He also called for their legal recognition to ensure adequate policy attention. Key challenges highlighted the wage disparity between men and women, limited market access and coordination issues during fishing ban periods, calling not to sign the WTO agreement about subsidies.
Mr. Borun Chandra Biswas of the Department of Fisheries called for all wetlands to fall under the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock with extended leasing terms, while Molla Emdadullah, Project Director of DoF, recommended implementing control systems in designated Marine Protected Areas. He also mentioned that it is high time to develop and implement plans to enhance the capacity of Bangladesh’s fisheries sector, especially marine fisheries. Ensure government funding for the adoption of fishing technology, while securing subsidies for the most vulnerable fishers. Additionally, Dr. Abdul Wahab advocated strict enforcement of the Hilsa breeding ban from November 3 onward.
Md. Zia Haider Chowdhury, Director of the Department of Fisheries, reaffirmed the department’s commitment to supporting fishers with increased rice allocations during ban periods and vowed to curb exploitative lending.
Miz Farida Akthar agreed with the need for better marine conservation measures, calling for inter-ministerial coordination to combat illegal net use, duration of the banned period and river pollution. She shared that the ministry already took the initiative to provide 50kg of rice pilot basis in some areas instead of 40kg during the banned period.
Md. Mujibul Haque Munir, Head-Social Development, RDRS, Bangladesh emphasized the recognition small scale fishers. Dr. Md. Abdul Baten Bhuyan of WorldFish urged support for youth entrepreneurship within the community and advocated for formal credit systems to bolster economic stability. Md. Amirul Islam, Operations Manager of AFA, emphasized cooperative models as a solution, suggesting that unity among fishers could address many issues effectively. Shaikh Giasuddin Ahammed of MJF noted that the SSF community is excluded from the 2006 Labor Act, with 42.6% of genuine fishers lacking official fisher ID cards.
Dr. Md. Younus Ali of the SAARC Agricultural Center proposed an Advocacy Forum to build global awareness of small-scale fishing challenges, while other panelists suggested financial support expansion, disaster preparedness and a formalized fisher registry.
Local fisher representative Sarmin Akter shared the personal struggles exacerbated by natural disasters and limited support, underscoring the need for more financial assistance beyond current government rice allocations. Md. Abul Hasanat from the FAO stressed the need to reclassify the Hilsa fish, traditionally caught in rivers, as an inland fish under WTO guidelines to protect it from marine subsidy restrictions.
The seminar concluded with calls for good governance, fair trade practices and regional collaboration to protect Bangladesh’s marine ecosystems and secure livelihoods for small-scale fishers.
Please download related paper [Bangla Press] [English Press] [Position Paper Bangla] [Presentation]
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