Bangladesh - National Report 2021

Tuna and tuna like other highly migratory species have become high pace in the priority list to the government of Bangladesh for a couple of years especially being after demarcation of sea boundary with the neighbours that lead to open up the access of Bangladeshi fishers to the Area Beyond National Jurisdiction (ABNJ) of high seas. But, it is not possible yet to take this opportunity by harnessing tuna and tuna like bill fishes from expanded high seas because of initiation stage of such fishing industry. Simultaneously, the study of tuna and tuna like fishes of Bangladesh marine waters are one of the most poorly studied areas of the world although it possesses high potentiality. Proper attention is needed in every aspects of exploitation, handling and processing, export and marketing as well as in biological and institutional management strategies. Therefore, a pilot project has been launched to harness tuna and tuna like fishes from Bangladesh marine waters and ABNJ of high seas. Basically, there is no specific tuna fishery in Bangladesh. Tunas are by catch of industrial trawlers, as well as artisanal and mechanized gill netters. Statistically it shows that neritic tunas comprises about 3.17% (3661.168 mt) and 4.68% (5399.176 mt) of catch is mackerels of the industrial catch in the year 2019-20 where industrial sector contributes only 17.19 % of total marine catch. Right now, there is no catch and effort data of tuna and tuna like fishes of artisanal sector but the sector contributes 82.81% of total marine catch. Nowadays, the land based catch and effort data system for artisanal sector is being developed by our Sustainable Coastal and Marine Fisheries Project and we hope that after few years we will be able to provide the tuna and tuna like fishes (mackerel and billfish) date from our artisanal sector. This report, thereby tried to articulate in a frame as per format of commission incorporating a salient feature of the marine fisheries of Bangladesh. Besides, there was no reporting of sea bird interactions with the both industrial and artisanal fishery during the reporting period. Similarly, there was no reporting of mortality of sea turtles, marine mammals and whale sharks, which are protected under existing rules and regulations.