Overview of the Fishing and Aquaculture Sector

The fishing and aquaculture sector is one of the world’s fastest growing sectors. In 2012, global per capita fish consumption was approximately 19.2 kg per person, up from 9.9 kg per person in 1960.1 The FAO estimates that fishing and aquaculture provide livelihood for 10-12 percent of the world’s population. Over 58 million people are involved in fishing and aquaculture, approximately 37 million of whom are engaged full-time. Over 84 percent of those involved in the fish sector are in Asia, with an additional ten percent in Africa. Although the majority of workers in the direct-capture fish sector are men, the sector also provides livelihood for women, who represent an estimated 15 percent of all workers engaged in fishing and aquaculture, and up to 90 percent of workers in secondary activities such as processing.2 Fish is a highly traded commodity, with about 200 countries exporting fish and fishery products. Fish and fish products are particularly important for many developing nations, where the fish trade accounts for more than half of the total value of traded commodities. Developing economies saw their share rise to 54 percent of total fishery exports by value in 2012.3 In addition to trade, fishing and aquaculture are important to many rural poor. Fish provides a key protein source in diets as well as providing jobs and income in areas where other income sources are scarce.4 With the expansion of the fish sector has come an increase in illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) exploitation of wild fish stocks. IUU fishing refers to all activities that happen outside the control of laws and regulations, including activities such as fishing without a license, fishing in a closed area, fishing with prohibited gear, fishing in excess of a quota, and fishing of prohibited species. Fishing regulations can be challenging to enforce, as much of the IUU fishing happens on the high seas – that is, in water over 200 nautical miles from shore, where there is little regulation and enforcement. Outside of a nation’s “exclusive economic zone” (the 200 mile strip of ocean adjacent to the shoreline), vessels are generally governed by the laws of the country in which they are registered, or their “flag state.” Under the practice known as “flags of convenience,” fishing vessels may be registered in countries with no meaningful link to their operations, including in countries with severely limited interest or capacity to enforce fishing-related laws on vessels flying their flag.5 This structural loop-hole built into the regulation and enforcement of fishing practices has led to increased environmental and social abuses in the sector, as the prevalence of IUU fishing has contributed to sharply declining world fish stocks through overfishing, leading vessels to undertake longer and longer voyages in order to find fish, and thereby increasing the vulnerability of workers who are stuck aboard for longer and longer periods of time. Declining stocks also increase the precariousness of employment for workers involved in fish processing, by threatening the overall viability of the industry. 1 Food and Agriculture Organization of the

Five Vulnerable Fishes Of Bangladesh: Recorded From Chanal Beel

Vulnerable Fishes species are shown bellow:

Historical Impersonation Of Chalan Beel

The most important factor dominating the river history in Bengal is the large proportion of silt carried by its rivers. It is the silt which has created the land and made it habitable by building it up through the centuries. It is silt which is fertilising the land, but the silt, which has been the most beneficial gift of nature, has also produced most of the river problems now confronting the people of Bengal. Silt deposited in the old river channel beds has forced them to change course, creating problems for abandoned areas while assisting in developing new areas.

The main volume of water from the Ganges River began flowing through the Padma channel in the sixteenth century. Silt from the Padma helped in building up the southern portion of north Bengal. This is the most plausible explanation for the existence of a depression around Chalan Beel. The Teesta was active in the region until it changed its course in 1787. This territory lies in between the land raised in the north by the Teesta system when it was active and that in the south by the Padma.^[5]

However, there is another explanation for the creation of the depression. The Padma has been changing its course over the centuries. In Ven den Brouck's map of Bengal, prepared in 1660, the main channel of the Padma is shown as flowing through Faridpur-Bakharganj, but there also is a suggestion of another, possibly earlier channel. This channel runs through Rampur Boalia in Rajshahi, Chalan Beel, Dhaleswari and Buriganga before meeting the Meghna. At that time the Jamuna was virtually non-existent and the Brahmaputra used to flow through its old channel.

Historical depictions of Chalan Beel

Van den Brouck’s map of 1660

James Rennell's map of 1776

Location of main rivers and north bengal

Overview map showing Chalan Beel among the main rivers in North Bengal

Chalan Beel is an extensive lowland area in the lower Atrai basin, and spreads across Singra and 

Gurudaspur upazilas on NatoreDistrict, Chatmohar, Bhangura

 and Faridpur upazilas of Pabna District,and Ullahpara,

 Raiganjand Tarash upazilas of Sirajganj District. It consists of a series of beels connected to one another by various channels to form a continuous water body during the rainy season. Although the beel area expands into a vast water body with dense aquatic vegetation as long as the Jamuna remains flooded during the monsoon months, it dries out in the winter months, leaving only patches of water in the central parts of this zone.

Chalan Beel is fast silting up. In the past it covered an area of about 1,085 km² but was reduced to 368 km² in 1909, of which only 85 km² remained underwater throughout the year. It has since shrunk to only 26 km².

Impact of railways

An estimate taken in 1945 found about 47 rivers and other waterways flowed into the Chalan Beel, a watershed of about 1,547 square miles (4,010 km²). In addition to being a crossroads for the many waterways it also served as the origin for the many rivers flowing south or east that eventually meet with the Padma or Jamuna. In the early 1900s, Chalan Beel began to be hemmed in by the construction of the Eastern Bengal Railway main line on the west and the Santahar-Bogra branch line on the north. The natural pattern of the water's drainage channels in this area were disrupted by the obstruction caused by the railway construction since railways in these low lands had to be built on embankments.

History Of Chalan Beel

Chalan Beel (Bengali: চলনবিল) is a wetland in Bangladesh. It is a large inland depression, marshy in character, with rich flora and fauna. Forty-seven rivers and other waterways flow into the Chalan Beel. As silt builds up in the beel, its size is being reduced.Chalan Beel is an extensive  lowland area in the lower Atrai basin, and spreads across Singra and Gurudaspur upazilas on Natore District, Chatmohar, Bhangura and Faridpur

 upazilas of Pabna District, and Ullahpara, Raiganjand Tarash upazilas of Sirajganj District. It consists of a series of beels connected to one another by variouschannels to form a continuous water body during the rainy season. Although the beel area expands into a vast water body with dense aquatic vegetation as long as the Jamuna remains flooded during the monsoon months, it dries out in the winter months, leaving only patches of water in the central parts of this zone.

Chalan Beel is fast silting up. In the past it covered an area of about 1,085 km² but was reduced to 368 km² in 1909, of which only 85 km² remained underwater throughout the year. It has since shrunk to only 26 km².

History:

The most important factor dominating the river history in Bengal is the large proportion of silt carried by its rivers. It is the silt which has created the land and made it habitable by building it up through the centuries. It is silt which is fertilising the land, but the silt, which has been the most beneficial gift of nature, has also produced most of the river problems now confronting the people of Bengal. Silt deposited in the old river channel beds has forced them to change course, creating problems for abandoned areas while assisting in developing new areas.

The main volume of water from the Ganges River began flowing through the Padma channel in the sixteenth century. Silt from the Padma helped in building up the southern portion of north Bengal. This is the most plausible explanation for the existence of a depression around Chalan Beel. The Teesta was active in the region until it changed its course in 1787. This territory lies in between the land raised in the north by the Teesta system when it was active and that in the south by the Padma.

However, there is another explanation for the creation of the depression. The Padma has been changing its course over the centuries. In Ven den Brouck's map of Bengal, prepared in 1660, the main channel of the Padma is shown as flowing through Faridpur-Bakharganj, but there also is a suggestion of another, possibly earlier channel. This channel runs through Rampur Boalia in Rajshahi, Chalan Beel, Dhaleswari and Buriganga before meeting the Meghna. At that time the Jamuna was virtually

Pollution

Chalan Beel has experienced the negative effects of pesticide use in the surrounding farmlands. In 2010, Bangladesh Agricultural University research, found pesticide use has increased sixfold since 1982, and the fish population of Chalan Beel has halved in the same period. A 25 kilometre highway constructed on the Beel has divided into two and caused havoc on the fish breeding b disrupting their movement. Commercial overfishing, grill and drag net and other destructive fishing have harmed the fish population.

Gomati River Of natore District

The Gomti, Gumti or Gomati River is a tributary of the Ganga River. According to Hindu mythology the river is the daughter of Sage Vashist, and bathing in the waters of the Gomati on Ekadashi (the eleventh day of the Sanatana Dharma-Hindu calendar) can wash away one’s sins. According to the major religious work, Srimad Bhagavatam, the Gomati is one of the many transcendental rivers in India. It is the river where sacred Gomti Chakras are found.

The Gomti originates from Gomat Taal which formally known as Fulhaar jheel, near Madho Tanda, Pilibhit, India. It extends 900 kilometres (560 mi) through Uttar Pradesh and meets the Ganges River near Saidpur, Kaithi in Varanasi district.

After 20 kilometres (12 mi) from its origin, a very small river, the Gaihaaee, meets it. The river is a thin stream until it reaches Mohammadi Kheri (about 100 km from its origin), a tehsil of Lakhimpur Kheri district, where it is joined by some tributaries like Sukheta, Choha and Andhra Choha. From here the river is well defined. Later other tributaries join this river. These are Kathina at Mailani and Sarayan at a village in Sitapur district. Another major tributary is the Sai River, which joins near Jaunpur. At the sangam (confluence) of Gomti and Ganges, the famous Markandey Mahadeo temple is situated.

After 240 kilometres (150 mi), the Gomti enters Lucknow, through which it meanders for about 12 kilometres (7 mi). At the entrance point water is lifted from the river for the city’s water supply. In the Lucknow area, 25 city drains pour untreated sewage into the Gomti. At the downstream end the Gomti barrage impounds the river converting it into a lake.

The cities of Lucknow, Lakhimpur Kheri, Sultanpur and Jaunpur are located on the banks of the Gomti and are the most prominent of the 15 towns in its catchment area. The river cuts the Jaunpur city into two equal halves and becomes wider in Jaunpur.

Gomti river is under “assault” at various points of its journey as it meanders through the 900-kilometre (560 mi) stretch of rich alluvial plains of Uttar Pradesh. From industrial effluents to domestic discharge, the river becomes more of a flowing dumping yard for the 15 smaller and bigger towns, including Lakhimpur Kheri, Sitapur, Lucknow, Sultanpur and Jaunpur, in its catchment area.

The major sources of pollution in the Gomti are:
Industrial waste and effluent from sugar factories and distilleries. Domestic waste water and sewage from habitations.

The river collects large amounts of human and industrial pollutants as it flows through the highly populous areas (18 million approximately) of Uttar Pradesh. High pollution levels in the river have negative effects on the ecosystem of the Gomti, threatening its aquatic life. On 25 July 2008, foundation stone for a sewage treatment plant was laid, which would have a capacity of 345 million litres (91,000,000 US gal) of effluents per day.

Population Census Information Of Natore District

Natore District (rajshahi division) area 1896.05 sq km, located in between 24°25' and 24°58' north latitudes and in between 88°01' and 88°30' east longitudes. It is bounded by naogaon and bogra districts on the north, pabna and kushtia districts on the south, Pabna and sirajganj districts on the east, rajshahi district on the west.

Population Total 698447; male 353201, female 345246; Muslim 549702, Hindu 148339, Buddhist 186, Christian 21 and others 199. Indigenous communities such as santal, oraon, Turi, Bhumij, Kaibarta, Mushar, Malpahadi, munda belong to this upazila.

Water bodies Main rivers: padma, baral, Mara Baral, Baranai, Gurh, nagar; chalan beel 'is notable.

Administration Natore Sub-division, under Rajshahi district, was established in 1845 and it was turned into a district in 1984. Natore Municipality was formed in 1869.

Source Bangladesh Population Census 2001, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics

Photo of Natore