Socio-Economic Characteristics and Fishing Operation Activities of the Artisanal Fishers in the Sundarbans Mangrove Forest, Bangladesh

Özet

The Sundarbans Mangrove Forest (SMF) is a complex ecosystem containing the most diverse and abundant naturalresources of Bangladesh. The research was designed to investigate the socio-economic characteristics and fishing operationactivities of the artisanal fishers in the SMF through case studies. Despite the great importance of mangroves in the livelihoodof the artisanal fishermen in the SMF, deforestation is perceived to continue due to illegal logging and deterioration ofmangroves for climate change, increased salinity, natural disasters, shrimp farming and household consumption. Theconsequences are depleted fish and fishery resources, changes in fisher's primary occupation and livelihood status. Thepresent study also elicited several risks and shocks of the fishermen livelihood like the attack by dacoits, hostage, ransom, andattack by tigers, natural disasters, river bank erosion. However, the artisanal fishermen adopted different strategies to copewith the changing conditions by forming associations, violating the fisheries laws and regulations, migrating, sharingresponsibilities with the household members, and transmitting local ecological knowledge. This study concludes that there isan urgency to update the existing policies and management issues for the sustainable extraction of the SMF resources for theimprovement of the artisanal fishermen livelihood.