298 fish species so far found in Bay

The country will have to wait two-three more years to get reliable data on fish resources in the Bay of Bengal, suggest findings of an ongoing survey.

The high-tech ocean survey vessel, in its assessment for the last two seasons, has so far found 298 fish species within Bangladesh’s sea area, said officials concerned.

The survey vessel, equipped with the latest technology of fisheries and other oceanographic research, was procured from Malaysia in 2016 to assess the country's marine resources.

The initiative was taken after delimitation of the country’s maritime boundary through disposal of longstanding disputes with the two neighbouris - India and Myanmar.

"We'll reach a decision over utilisation of marine fish after completing the survey for five years (2017-2021)," fisheries and livestock minister Narayon Chandra Chanda told UNB.

Citing initial survey findings, he claimed that there are huge potentials of having good stock of marine fish in the Bay of Bengal.

The survey vessel can conduct assessments for six months (November-April) a year, while it cannot do for the rest six months due to bad weather in the sea.

"The survey vessel has successfully completed its assessment in the two seasons (November-April). And it has so far found 349 species (of living resources), including 298 fish species in the sea," said director general of fisheries department Md Goljar Hossain.

Echoing the minister, Goljar Hossain said there is possibility of having good fish stock in the sea as per the initial report of the survey. "But, it will take a few years more to get the overall picture on the stock."

He said they will prepare a policy on tapping the fish resources after having the overall picture on the reserve in the country's marine boundary.

The policy will be prepared in the line with the ‘Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030’ and the ‘Vision 2041’, said Goljar Hossain.

Professor Sayedur Rahman Chowdhury of Institute of Marine Sciences and Fisheries at Chittagong University said they are hopeful of having a good assessment by the survey vessel.

"We'll have reliable data on marine fisheries by 2022 as it requires the survey reports of the five years to draw a reliable conclusion over the stock of fish resources," he said.

He insisted that Bangladesh should concentrate largely on tapping fish as there is a better potential of good reserve of living resources than that of mineral resources --petroleum and non-petroleum ones-- in the sea.

"Living resources or fish resources are renewable resources. So, the government should pay attention largely to utilisation of fish resources," he said.

He said the potentials of petroleum and non-petroleum mineral resources are not so high in the Bay as different international studies and reports suggest.

The high-tech 37.8-meter-long multipurpose research vessel, which cost Tk 655 million, started its assessment in the Bay in November, 2016.

In 2012, Bangladesh won 111,631 square kilometres of sea area after a longstanding dispute with Myanmar following the much-celebrated verdict of International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea based in Hamburg, Germany.

Bangladesh also gained some 19,467 square kilometres of maritime area in a case against India in 2014 through a verdict of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) based in The Hague.

According to experts, the two verdicts have paved the way for Bangladesh to unlock the marine potentials in the vast sea area.