ENV 203/GEO 205: Introduction to Geography

Lecture 6
Natural Resources of Bangladesh -3
Marine and fisheries resources
and BLUE ECONOMY

Moupia Rahman (MpR), PhD

E-mail: moupia2004@yahoo.com
Marine and Freshwater Fisheries
Resources of Bangladesh
Aquatic plants
Fisheries of Bangladesh

4
Introduction
Bangladesh having the 3rd largest aquatic biodiversity in
Asia behind China & India;
About 800 species of fresh, brackish & marine waters;
Having world’s largest flooded wetland (Bengal Delta) &
three main river systems
 Ganges, Brahmaputra & Meghna >
Vast water resources offer the best possibilities for food
security & income generation.
 Introduction……………..contd

• Bangladesh has ranked third in the world in terms of

inland fish production in 2018, according to a report by
the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
• After ranking fifth last year, the country now only trails
behind China and India, ranked first and second,
respectively.

• fisheries sector contributed 3.57 percent to the national

GDP in FY18. 
 About the Fisheries Resources

• Fisheries and aquatic resources are economically,

ecologically, culturally, aesthetically important to the
nation.
• Many of these resources are in decline due to factors
such as: habitat alteration, degrading water quality,
invasive species, water availability, and inadequate
stock management.
• Successful conservation and restoration of these
resources requires access to data and information on fish
biology, population dynamics, management,
hatcheries, water quality, and aquatic habitat and
ecosystems.
 About the Fisheries Resources….

• From the global perspectives, the main issues facing by the

international fishing community are over fishing and
environmental degradation.

• In Bangladesh, fisheries is one of the major sub-sectors of

agriculture, which play a dominant role in nutrition,
employment, earning foreign currency and other areas of
economy.
About the Fisheries Resources…

•The country has about 710km long coastal belt;

•Continental shelf is about 37,000km2 having up to
50m depth;
•Area of EEZ is about 1,64,000 km2, which is larger
than land area (1,44,000km2) of the country;
•Fisheries sector contributes 5.71% of total export
earning and 4.92% to the GDP;
•The sector contributes 22% of the total agricultural
production & 63% of the total animal protein intake
of the country.
Fisheries of Bangladesh

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 References
• http://www.fao.org/3/i9540en/I9540EN.pdf
• https://www.factretriever.com/fun-fish-facts
 What is Blue economy?

• According to the World Bank the blue economy is the "sustainable

use of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods,
and jobs while preserving the health of ocean ecosystem."

• European Commission defines it as "All economic activities related to

oceans, seas and coasts. It covers a wide range of interlinked
established and emerging sectors."

• The Commonwealth of Nations considers it "an emerging concept

which encourages better stewardship of our ocean or 'blue'
resources."

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Blue economy and Bangladesh
 Blue economy of Bangladesh

The Prospects of Blue Economy to Promote

Bangladesh into a Middle-Income Country (read
this paper)
https://file.scirp.org/pdf/OJMS_201805211615103
3.pdf

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_economy
https://file.scirp.org/pdf/OJMS_20180521161
51033.pdf
 Water Resources Management

• Water Resources Management aims at managing the tasks

required to generate water and produce water related
goods and services for the benefits of the society as a
whole. It includes
• physical intervention,
• financial management,
• institutional arrangement,
• legislation, and
• regulations.
• http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Water_Resourc
es_Management