Bangladesh Marine Fisheries Management Plan: Part 1- Industrial

Bangladesh Marine Fisheries Management Plan: Part 1- Industrial Based on Ecosystem SEPA w to eae ——es (EAFM) "aa % he ‘, ¥ — — EUS » (heiteard ry : j Sur 3 3 +4 INDUSTRIAL . 2 PNDES WNL TRAVILER DENSITY \ ms Department of Fisheries Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock March 2021 Table of Contents ‘ LaCtE PANES iceccrers cos cersceeeseceepisoine Seat witretremamramo maar ee ee rasa lesieas ead IE Restrnt EAN ec ee a aetna sain Abbeevigt Oise cnucoeoonscsimnsorscranumennan Bailie NURS NR NIN DL Se RRS TOUR CAN Vistor and tiiain ObjeCHV66 sxc isscniinccansersnnvacsnacsamucencscaseruneuasrseauaawilcuuvevinersenesiinivecnsteenmemataneneeiuel WitPGdiCH Ott cussssssscssesusmccnsasseces WS Sete SRS EC ea RUSS NeW cao BRUCE aay Ee RcNNESNteNN l Key principles of the FMP .......... i i WER SS a NR NL 2 SOP Giese mmapsmemmaans SSS no Ta ER Naame eres antec er nutebe asi 2 eS ) National Content .......cceenee eee ee coe scrapuarnaeanesns seopeceneetenuaesecenascueuauriscueesencerrspeuraesnaunvernanes os bniplementation af the PMP siiscnnauniss. ith Steinman ue name WRN ~~ Ww Deseriptionvot the fishery sccmicssiseninasrre anrannnnmnnynmanncnniamnumeamcncmerrenneINAN S s DPRRIE Fis CES POR NOE spo ncsaessacoucaninnuoonncanmmecasvaicra cian vines taslhenesRioten deascunsmnee en aaUoR eal ceaNp ANNE Scientific AdVICE sessssecssseseessesenssvevenssevstsvaseesesvenssoneseseenseen Ecosystem CONSIDCrations ......,.ceec ese ecsescsrecseenecsesers raga Scen Uh eoliae SUNDRIES ete Uae Gen 5 Industrial fishing eet iisiuninicninminnnennarmanmanenunuacniuE eT 6 Production. ends ccsscsssicccsecesisisnasiuinae Current management measures and arrangements ..........0.0000 a a REE amo SIRT 8 Eee FSI RET IE. or arcasncensessvzomnsnne ener tmans unten eonesnern eee Cex HERO RRR ESREBUSERENN SEE etSatenpRANeReNneRERRE Hilsa Fisheries Management Plans....c.ssccsessssesessseneeriene a ce ag sess ua oe noua ya aR ceeacmr ety 1) Birches irae 2808) UHI aha etoerdinscaseaieteasenterosenrannnsprsstevensreomneyencorarabinbueronseeiuldihh bys einabeneys Monitoring, control and surveillance...js..sceeseeeeeeeennene avi eeiraeaOecmasesiaxceioNaNREoTeasitRtl 11 New iianagemient rieasures aiid MCS aceite scicssaccwccnnncniciamneuannsmacenaamoaranaaiarnanniare 12 Major threats and high priority challenges .......--...--.cesmscseseee sre ancsun somone anseen eaigeasaeiNs 13 Conflicts between artisanal and industrial operators .....-....cceccscseescesnesssecuseeceseecnssneeesneersetsnrsvensens 13 Ecos yrs teens cores beet tS cere ceericcarcenmmnesersenmenenarense reneremterreemansnnnne nln ills USSena SRW panel LB High-peigetty esntiicacacccnmnecn EN Nea LA Objectives: arid Mandgement Measuites siicciccaccaecnnninnnennnvnnmmmmnnnmmnman mourns 1B Challenge: Overfishing and overcapacity ......-ccnereeneeneeees ncaa epee itso cnrkktpasenanens 16 Harvest Control Rule and Total Allowable Effort.............. SRT aR RU RNR RR aR ARI 16 Implementation .......:020 Wei baka Bema aR RUA ERR NESS Veneer ee career esheets i Challeripyy 1nsifective ICS: POCOA EER ctesiacssssessasccssomarareicvecsmstsunuarrenssiinsacinnaanineeineicetiietsoasbit 18 Challenge: Inadequate or absence of effective and efficient fisheries management capacity OV ER RO REIINCE) caninum ee naa ED Challenge: Prevent destructive fishing practices, discard, pollution and habitat degradation...20) Challenge: Conflicts between artisanal and industrial fishing OperationS........-cssesserserennenesnss Zl Challenge: Asymmetry and inadequate fisheries data and information ........ 0c 21 Challenge: Loss of food quality and value of landed catch .....7 lessees Co eee 22 ‘M. NAZIM UDDIN Rao A Deputy Sec Ministry of Fisheries Ranglates S, west rotary sad Livestock ay Anaka rye ig Review and Update of FMP vcccsecencees hiaaaneana wea riaety Ee ee et en eres 23 PROTCEONCOS ve ccxccassasrgcevnrmsccmnnprnannpsniaieyonisv oe recurs rei ie eR ere RSEE annem eee same cuccacicE Annex 1. Fisheries institutions, organisations and stakeholdet ..c.cccsesiescaencncnssseacsanineen 2D p> Kam fil, 2244 Deputy Secretary Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock Banaiadesr Secretaria? Ohaka. ii List of Figures Figure 1 Named fishing grounds on the Bangladesh continental shelf... cee resteeneteneseenens Figure 2 Phase plot (XNobe plot’) summarising the status in 2019 of selected fish and shrimp stocks indicating that almost all stocks are depleted, some severely, and almost all stocks conunue Te Cxpenense Gnpuinp Over Nshintoncaanenamnnn iene pamiunormnaauceesrits 5 Ligure 3 Status of Bangladesh marine fisheries in terms of food web dynamics indicates significant ecosystem change through “fishing down the food chain” (Huntington, 2008). 0c. 6 Figure + Industrial trawler catch rates (CPUE kg/dav) for the three trawler types. «6... gasampuiees ” Figure 5 Spaual restrictions for industrial trawling........ si Sea iu zal Beowy tae eeeuanrcunncumniiiatinett: 9 Figure 6 Fishing grounds of various gear sectors operating from Chattogram and Cox’s Bazar showing overlap arcas of potential CONPIICE. ........cccsceeceeessececntenesnnareneansarenies sia nasa nie 13 Figure 7 Fishing days per vear for cach industrial fishing SectOL. ....-.c2cccesreseresees eerie 16 List of Tables ‘Table 1 Major species composition from marine fishing grounds (Hussain, 1982) Locations are as given in Figtte: f sssniasinscnsrncnscmannmmamaniamnsnsenaussnnmeccrnaacannncemenmencsmies 3 ‘Table 2 Numbers of Bangladesh industrial trawlers by gear type ..seccsssecrerecseseeeecesieeseeeseesen stents G6 Table 3 Construction characteristics of Bangladesh industrial trawlers ........-.ccssernsenerecseneesienneennnee b lable + Reported national and marine fisherics production in Bangladesh in 2019-20. occ. ccscies ‘Table 5 Marine fisheries production (M1) historical summary and recent trends 1 Bangladesh... ~ ‘Table 6 Species proup breakdown of recent industrial trawl catches as reported in Yearbook or bishénies Stanses of Bangladesh (2020). acsncsnasscnccniuarnsoranscannisiianasanenensisnree wiranieecinanaiti 8 ‘Table 7 lishing ban areas and periods specified under the Hilsa Fisheries Management Plan..... lt Table 8 Management measures to limit Hilsa catch in Industrial fisheries... LL lable 9 Issues affecting the industrial trawling sector of Bangladesh... cece enecuin cence 15 Table 10 Harvest Control Rule for effort reduction in 2020/21 fishing season vesvieiesceeees 17 ‘able 11 Total Allowable lffort (fishing davs per sector) for 2020/21 fishing season.......0.2....17 Deputy Secretary Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock Ranatadesh Secretariat, Dhaka. Abbreviations ABN] Area beyond National Jurisdiction AIS Automatic Identification System BCG Bangladesh Coast Guard BFDC Bangladesh Fisheries Development Corporation BFRI Bangladesh [ishenies Research Institute BMPA Bangladesh Marine Fisheries Association BN Bangladesh Navv BOA Boat Owners Association BRD Byeatch Reduction Device BWFTOA Bangladesh White Fish Trawler Owners Association CMC Co-Management Committee CPA Chittagong Port Authority (PUE Catch per Unir Effort Dot Department of Fishertes, Bangladesh Dos Department of Shipping AFM Kcosystem. Approach to Fisheries Management ECDIS K:lectronic Chart Display Information System Bex Licologteally Critical .\rea BEL Exclusive Economic Zone LSBN hhstuarine Set Bag Net EU European Union FAB Fisheries Advisory Body FAM{P Fisheries Management Plan FPI Fisheries Performance Indicator Gob Government of Bangladesh HACCP Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point iICR Harvest Control Rule HFMP Hilsa Tisheries Management Plan IPOA International Plan of Action TU egal, Unreported and Unregulated JMC Joint Monitoring Centre JMC-CC Joint Monitoring Centre Coordination Committee KPI Kev Performance Indicator MCS Monitoring, Contral and Surveillance 3 MFO Marine Fisheries Office MOrd Marine Fishertes Ordinance {i Gel t /O. 2d 2OL f see — Ande Raza upon iv Ministry of Fisheries and dL vestock Sangladesh Secretaria’ hake, MFR MFSC MFSMU MMO MoFL MPA MR MSY NPOA PSO SDG SOP SP TAE TED VMS Marine Fisheries Rules Marine Fisheries Surveillance Check Post Marine Fisheries Survey Management Unit of DoF Mercantile Manne Office Ministry of lisheries and Live stock Marine Protected Area Marine Reserve Maximum Sustainable Yield National Plan of Action Principal Scienufic Officer Sustainable Development Goal Standard Operating Procedure Sailing Permission Total Allowable Effort Turtle Excluder Device Vessel Monitoring System SRS /0- a2 A.N.M, wt, to ~ Deputy Secretary Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock Bangladesh Secretariat, Dhaka oy Vision and main objectives The marine fisheries of Bangladesh are providing economic benefits and decent livelihoods through sustainable management of fisheries resources and conservation of ecosystem health, Management of marine fisherics under the ecosystem approach to fisheries includes due consideration of human well-being, ecosystem health, and good governance through a comprehensive co-management planning process. In Bangladesh marine fisheries this will include sector specific plans for the artisanal marine and industrial marine fisheries. This document presents the industrial marine sector lisheries Management Plan (FMP) based on the ecosystem approach for the sustainable development and harvest of marine fisheries. Introduction Although Bangladesh has over 118 thousand square kilometres of sea arca in the Bay of Bengal to a depth of about 2200 meters, its known marine fisheries resources are presently limited to the shallow shelf-sea, to a depth of about 80 m, which constitutes only about 36° of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), Within the shelf sea area, only about 14,600 km? (12°») are known to be fishing grounds of commercial significance. Only a small fracuon of the several hundred known species of fishes, shrimps, crabs and other animals that are caught in this multi-species fishery are of economic and fishery significance. Taking into account the Blue Economic Development aspiration of the nation, mandates to achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG)-14 targets as stipulated by the United Nations’ SDGs and fulfilling other international obligations on one hand, and relatively small area and finite fisheries biomass on the other, striking a balance between fisheries resource economy and long-term marine fisheries sustainability will require carefully crafted fisheries policies, strategies and plans. Research surveys in recent years by RV Meen Shandhani and commercial fish catch data collected over past years indicate that all of the commercially important marine fishes in Bangladesh have been overexploited for a long time and are currently depleted to varying degrees. None of the economically significant marine stocks appears to be capable of recovery under the current fishery regime. It is very likely that the already bad overfishing situation could turn worse in a matter of a few years’ time unless effective and restrictive fishenes management is enforced now. Total annual marine fish catches in last five years from Bangladesh waters are reported to be in the range of 626-671 thousand MT. The majority (~83%o recently} comes from the large number of artisanal vessels predominantly operating in shallow waters (<40 m). The catch of 220 active mdustnial trawlers (2019-2020), which are allowed to operate in waters more than 40m depth, makes up the remainder. Although the industnal sector currently takes less than 20% of the total catch, their share is growing and is likely ro increase in the near future. Attempts to prevent industrial fleet growth have had limited success and the fleet is currently upgrading with larger trawls and improved fish-finding capability. A very new development (since 2016) is the large and growing quanuty of Hilsa being taken at sea by the industal trawlers. This threatens to undermine the successful rebuilding of the Hilsa stock under the Hilsa Fisheries Management Plan (HFMP), and all the co-management efforts supporting it, developed for the artisanal and riverine fisheties. SSRs (Li /O-78L A.N.M. NAZIM U DIN Secretary I satay. apse and Livestock Bangladesh Secretariat, Dhaka. Key principles of the FMP The following key principles were recognised and promoted in the development and vstablishment of the FMP. These principles lead to effecuve fisheries management plans with high compliance and which are reflective of, and adaptable to, the uncertainties that prevail in fisheries, ¢ Good governance thar facilitates setung of rules and regulations and adequate resources and arrangements for compliance and enforcement; ¢ Tish stocks and communities are finite and biological production constrains the potential yield from a fishery-potential vield needs to be estimated. @ Biological production of a stock is a function of the size of the stock and it is also a function of the ecological environment. It is influenced by natural or human-induced changes in the environment. Management funcuons need co sct target reference point through data collection and fishertes assessment and environmental impacts need to be monitored. ® .\ sense of ownership and a long-term stake in the resource for those (individuals, communities or groups) with access are most conducive to maintaining responsible fishenes. A system of effective and appropriate access rights must be established and enforced. e Cooperation and coordination across different government agencies for oversight and to combat illegal activines in marine fisheries. e Adapuve management that embraces change through learning and adapting; e Precautionary approach that does not delay action because of lack of information and manages cautiously when uncertainty exists; ¢ Reorient sector performance towards “Volume to Value” reducing pressure on fishing; e Effecuve participation in the management process by fully-informed users 1s consistent with the democratic principle, facilitates identification of acceptable management systems and encourages compliance with laws and regulanons through communication. it is stressed that the plan ts a “living document” and will be annually updated to guide management of the fishery and should be responsive to fisheries management policy adjustments. It is proposed to be applied for an initial period not exceeding two years from implementation, at which time it will be evaluated and appropriate adjustments made, Scope This plan outlines the current rules, regulations and management measures governing the industrial trawl fishery. It is designed to be used by all stakeholders to inform on what, how and why management is being undertaken in relation to this fishery. National Context The marine fisheries of Bangladesh are made up of the industrial sector of 257 large trawlers, and the attisanal sector of over 60,000 smaller vessels, of which at least half are mechanised to some degree. These two major marine sectors are managed separately however fisheries management recognises that they share many of the same resources and are not independent. Sar # Fee LO Deputy Secretary Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock Vf Bangladesh Sccretaria® " -ka, ny, ay s The Government of Bangladesh (GoB), in recognition that marine fisheries resources are a vital element in achieving SDG-14 (life below water) targets and for harnessing the porential from blue growth initiatives, has given major focus to sustainably managing and conserving marine fisherics resources. This FMP applies to all marine capture fisheries conducted by the country’s industrial fishing trawlers. This fishery is limited to the area beyond the 40 m depth contour out to the boundary of the EZ, and may in future include fisheries conducted in Area beyond National Jurisdiction (ABNJ) waters. The FMP covers the full range of all target pelagic, demersal and shrimp species, along with non-target and dependent species (endangered and threatened} fished by industrial trawlers. Implementation of the FMP Although this FMP covers the fishing years 2021-2022 to 2024-2025 inclusive it may be reviewed annually, based on best scientific information available and on the performance of the fishery achieving stipulated targets against indicators and benchmarks set in the plan. ‘The plan will be amended as required, based on the annual reviews. Department of Fishenes (DoF; and other concerned agencics will implement the measures specified in the plan and, where required, devclop the required rules and regulations in support of these measures. Annual review, and consequent amendments will be presented to stakeholders through the consultative process and the plan revised accordingly. Description of the fishery Marine fisheries resoutces There are four major fishing grounds idenufied in the marine water of Bangladesh comprised a total area of 14,600 sq. km. (Figure 1). Species composition on the different grounds vanes somewhat (Table 1). Table 1 Major species composition from matine fishing grounds (Hussain, 1982) Locations are as given in Figure 1 Name Location Major commercial species South Patches 90°10' - 90°50'E Indian salmon, Hilsa, Pomfret. Ribbon fish. 21°410' - 21°40'N Bombay duck, Eel, Croaker, Catfish South of South Patches 90°30' - 90°40'E Pomfret, Red snapper, Croaker, Carangids. 20°45' - 21°10'N Grunter, Ribbon fish, Shrimp, Mackerel, Tuna Middle Ground 90°00' - 90°40'E Hilsa, Snapper, Grouper, Croaker. Shrimp. 21°00' - 21°25'N Arius . Swatch of No Ground 89°O0' - 89°S0'E Hilsa, Pomfret, Ribbon fish. Bombay duck. 21°00' - 21°40'N Croaker, Shrimp. Tuna SRe JO. 16 V/ A.N.M.'NAZIM UDDIN Deputy Sacretary Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock Rangladesh Secretariat, Dhaka. Coastai Waters \ {0-10 mp t * south ag ~» paten ~\ ! 10 meter . A ¢ a ; Swatchiof no ght oat * ges ® M 109 Middie ground x Shallov Shelf Sea of Bangladesh (1G-200m} Bangiadesh:~ Figure 1 Named fishing grounds on the Bangladesh continental shelf. ‘The industrial sector, limited to operatung in waters greater than 40 m in depth, and operate primarily in less than 100 m depth. There, main resource stocks can be classified into shrimp groups, groundfish groups, and small pelagics. Nominally, shrimp trawlers target shrimp, bottom trawlers targer groundfish, and midwater trawlers target small pelagics. However, when byeatch is considered, there is very significant overlap in the species composition of all three flect sectors. Scientific advice Recent stock assessinent analyses have provided guidance on the state of the marine fisheries resources however, these analyses are known to be uncertain and specific quanntatve estimates are not provided. They do provide strong and consistent indications that the marine fisherics are all generally overfished and the present trend of increasing total landings is reducing economic value overall and is unsustainable in the long-term, This advice is formulated under the new consensus view that what has sustained fisheries is less prescriptive, bur more process oriented and adaptive. The analyses indicated mixed trends for different finfish groups, with increased catches of small pelagics, especially sardines, offsetting to some degree the depletion and overfishing of larger sized and more valued species groups. Mortality estimates for sardines suggest the group is being overexploited and is somewhat depleted, The increase in catches of shrimp by the midwater trawlers revcal they are being opcrated on bottom, negating the potential selectivity benefits of that gear type. The overall shrimp biomass trend has been consistently downward over the last 30 years. More detailed information on species mix in the industrial shrimp iyo eM 10. (O * A.N.M. NAZIM UDDIN Dapuly Secretary “ADL/ Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock Bangladash Secretariat, Dhaka. ny catches since 2005 show the catch rates for tiger shrimp (most valuable) and brown shrimp are declining steadily The overall observation from the most recent stock assessment work was that marine fisheries resources are heavily exploited with some species severely depleted and in urgent need of rebuilding. The most heavily ovetexploited species groups include many of the larger and more valuable species such as Indian salmon and large croakers. ‘he results for Indian salmon (Leptomelanosoma indicum), the most valuable finfish specics in Bangladesh, showed it was severely depleted and overfishing was ongoing. Species in this condition are at significant risk of commercial extinction and may in fact be extirpated without specific management protection. Zero stock (depleted) stock at depletion threshold Large stock (virgin, 0 Spawning potential ratio 0.5 1 1.5 2 r y se ve re ov er fi sh in g 7,58 ove ris hig F 5.0 ing on but stock not yet shoul signs of deplet = x : 2.504 & a (deal position where we would =- want to see the points. 25 3 4 optimum fishing and healthy stock 3 Bet 3 ; gz optimum fs oleh = ; s$ Pennabiaanea | £ fe Pampus chinensis ES loc A ee’ Ae : Overfishing nit oing on but Overfishing wal going on and stock depleted, perhaps due to past overfishing stock also not depleted Figure 2 Phase plot (‘Kobe plot') summarising the status in 2019 of selected fish and shrimp stocks indicating that almost all stocks are depleted, some severely, and almost all stocks continue to experience ongoing over-fishing. In the management considerations stemming from the stock assessment work it was clearly noted that the present management pracucc is permitting excessive and increasing fishing effort and recommends that measures to stop fleet growth and to responsibly begin reducing industrial fleet capacity are urgently required. Even with strong management intervention tt 1s going to require some years of consistent and effective control to start seeing the resulting benefits. Ecosystem considerations The increasing catches over the last two decades for the marine fisheries, and particularly the industrial sector, have actually seen substanual declines in catches of lugh valued and large demersal species such as jewfishes, grunters, snappers, pomfrets, and catfishes against increasing catches for less valuable small species such as sardines, bombay duck, and /9./0 Sar 5 A.N.M.NAZIMUDDIN 79 2/ Deputy Secretary Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock Bangladesh Secretariat, Dhaka. threadfins. This pattern of serial depletion of high-value and slow-growing species has been described in many overfished ecosystems and is referred to as fishing down the food web (or food chain). As far back as 2008 this had been noted in Bangladesh fisheries (Hunungton et al, 2008; reproduced in Figure 3) A Total os Catch . all 2s Small g 0 emetsal Pelagics = : f ie \ 3 ‘a ; 4 aR s Demersal oe . " a rae Hee. , d ’ : Pes, / ° / ase wenessceeines a et — 4 a aig Time (years) Figure 3 Status of Bangladesh marine fisheries in terms of food web dynamics indicates significant ecosystem change through “fishing down the food chain” (Huntington, 2008). Industrial fishing fleet The industrial fishing fleet consists of steel-hulled freezer trawlers and wooden trawlets using ice for preservation, using shrimp, bottom, and midwater trawls (Table 2, Table 3), Since 2014 issue Of new license for bottom trawling has been banned by ministerial order and existing bottom trawlers were converted to mid-water trawlers for fishing pelagic species. Table 2 Numbets of Bangladesh industrial trawlers by gear type Trawler Type Active Inactive Total Shrimp trawler 30 7 37 Fish trawler (demersal) 46 13 59 Fish trawler (mid-water) 122 0 122 Other (demersal) 22 17 39 Total 220 37 257 Source: MFO, 2021 Table 3 Construction characteristics of Bangladesh industrial trawlers Construction Preservation Gross Length Overall Horsepower Max. trip tonnage (M) length Wooden Ice 56 — 148 48.5-26.5 420 — 600 14 days Steel Freezer 251 — 668 34 - 54 716 - 1850 30 days Almost all the trawlers are equipped with modern navigation, communication, and fish finding equipment including sonar, trawl monitors, and echo-sounders. .M, NAZI Dd fn eputy Sacretary Ministry of Fisheries and Livestoct Bangladesh Secretariat, Dhak: 6 ¥ Production trends ‘The industrial marine sector accounts for less than 20° of the marine fisheries production and about 3%e of national fish production (lable 4). The proportion of marine production by the industrial sector has been increasing since at least 2010 (Table 3). Table 4 Reported national and marine fisheries production in Bangladesh in 2019-20. Fisheries Sector Production Percentoftotal Percent of marine {MT) production production Inland fisheries total 3,832 267 85.1% (capture & culture) Industrial marine fisheries 115354 2.56% 17.19% Artisanal marine fisheries 555,750 12.34% 82.81% Marine fisheries total 671,104 14.90% National total 4,503,371 Source: Yearbook of Fisheries Statistics of Bangladesh, DoF, 2020 Table 5 Marine fisheries production (MT) historical summary and tecent trends in Bangladesh Time frame 1983-84 1993-94 2003-04 2013-14 2015-16 2017-18 2018-19 Industrial 14,500 12,454 32606 76,885 105,348 120.087 107,236 Artisanal 150,382 240,590 422601 518500 521.180 534600 552.675 Total 164,882 253,044 455,207 595.385 626,528 654687 659,911 Source: Yearbook of Fisheries Statistics of Bangladesh. DoF. 2020 Although the gross production (absolute tonnage landed) of marine capture fisheries conunues to increase as a result of a decades long expansion of the fishing fleet, che catch rates {catch per unir effort, CPUE) have not. BOW el aie es eee a ee Sui peemanmustncueTy 3000 CP UE (k g/ da y) 2000 + 2012-13, 2013-14 =. 2014-18 = 2015-16 =. 2016-17, 3 2017-18 +=—2018-19 YEAR Figure 4 Industrial trawler catch rates (CPUE kg/day) for the three trawler types. The species composition of the trawler catch (lable 6) is mostly unidennfied with over 32.000 MET out of 92,203 MT) being classified as “Orher Marine Fish” a category that is pencrally made up of low valued, small species. This group and sardines, another small low-valued species, make up over *%4 of the total industrial catch. QRe+ A.NIM. NAZIM ubbin Deputy Secretary Ministry of Fisharies and Livestock Bangladesh Secretariat Dhaka. Table 6 Species group breakdown of recent industrial trawl catches as reported in Yearbook of Fisheries Statistics of Bangladesh (2020). No. of No, of Unit Catch in 2019-20 (MT) Type of active (Trawt Fishing. Trawler Net) Shrimp Hilsa Other Fish Total Shrimp . Trawler 30 90 1,457 0 2,749 4.206 Fish Trawler 190 570 979 9,616 100,553 141,148 Total 220 660 2,436 9.616 103,302 115.354 Species group breakdown of other fish category (MT) Sharks Other Bombay indian Skates Marine Sardine Duck Salmon Pomfret Jewfish Catfish Rays Fish Total 16.154 6,494 0 1,205 6.271 5,223 602 67,353 103,302 Current management measures and arrangements Licensing A valid fishing license, issued by the Marine Fisheries Office (MFO), is required for mdustrial marine fishing vessels. Licenses are renewed biannually and require possession of yessel registranon and valid imspecnon certificates from Mercantile Marine Office (IMO), Government has the authority to regulate number of fishing vessel license, as provided for in Marine Fisheries .\ct 2020 secuon + below. The intention is to reduce over-capacity while encouraging modernisanon of the industrial trawler flect. “section + — Determination of Classes and Numbers of Fishing Vessels: - In order to maintain conservation, management, sustainable and extractable stock of fisheries resources and in need of development planning Government, by notficaton in the Government Gazette, for providing license in the marine area of fish extraction or in the deep sea, from ume to time, may determine the number and classification of the vessels.” Enforcement agencies Enforcement of fisheries management measures by the GoB includes the DoF, Bangladesh Coast Guard (BCG) and Bangladesh Navy (BN). However implementation and compliance is very weak, There ts no effective co-management mechanism or process resulting in a very top down approach and limited legitimacy in the eres of fishers. “he existing industrial and artusanal fisheries associations are a potential insututional base for a future co-management system. Rules and regulations The management measures in effect for industrial fisheries under the Alarine ishertes let 2020 and Rafer are: ® J.icensing © Allindustrial trawlers are required to haye an industrial fishing vessel license which is to be renewed biannually eRe 2G é : ue UDDIN 8 Deputy Secretary Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock Bangladesh Secretariat, Dhaka 2] W oO <Allindustrial trawlers and mechanized fishing boats are required to have vesse] registration and sea worthiness certificate (Certificate of Inspection) from MMO before applying for a fishing license or biannual renewal. Area of operations © All industrial vessels must carry and operate Automatic Identification System (AIS) throughout entire fishing trips © From the start of the 2021-22 fishing season or when the legal provisions and infrastructure is ready, whichever ts earlier, vessels must carry and operate Vessel Monitoring System (WMS) throughout entre fishing tips © Vessels fishing under an industrial fishing vessel license are required to fish beyond {seaward of) the inshore limir line defined by the coordinates given below Point E Long (DMS) NlLat(DMS) E Long (DD} N Lat (DD) 1 89° 13'30” 21°11'00" 89.225° 21.183° 2 89°32'00” 21°25'00” 89.533° 21.4175 | 3 89°40'00" 21°25'00” 89.667° 21,417° 4 89°40'00" 21°18'00" 89.667° 21.300° 5 90°30'00" 21°06'00" 90.500” 21.100° 6 91°16'30” 21°00'00" 91.275° 21,000° 7 91°32'00" 21°06'00" 91.533” 21.100° 8 91°45'00" 21°06'00" 91.750° 21.100° 9 92°09'00" 20°25'30” 92.150° 20.425° BE — = 4 « SeE : 1a s| > ie: | 3 x : % . % ~ © Chanagram | ! s { z 5 x ee ® ! + ore rioters Arts \, ! ee re ai Bazar g ‘ ee | Memo) Wee BR * eee - — ‘ . * k. : fat Y a «OP “ Industrial Fishing oe \ . \ | 2 NES . ae » . A i 3 ‘se © ® yw e w WE a » * a OME we x“ 4 5 RUPE © & Figure 5 Spatial restrictions for industrial trawling © GoB has declared a continental shelf Marine Protected Area (Marine Reserve) between Middle Ground and South Patches encompassing 698 sq. km. (204 sq. Mm.) to protect spawning nursery habitat for marine shrimp and fish. A.N.M. NAZIM uoon 10 Deputy Secretary Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock 20 es { Bangladesh Secrelartat. Draka. CRe—- 9 © GoB has declared 3188 sq. km. of Marine Protected Area south of Nijhum Dwip to conserve matine and coastal fisheries resources. GoB has restricted collection of fry of fish, or PL of shrimp and prawns of any kind in the estuary and coastal waters of Bangladesh since 2000. © GoB encourages industrial fishing fleet to conduct exploratory and/or devclopmental fishing outside 500 m isobaths within EI!Z. Oo e Closed season 3 Fishing by all cypes of fishing vessels 1s banned from 20 May to 23 Julv each year to promote the conservation of marine fisheries resources within the EEZ of Bangladesh. e ‘Trip duration © Freezet trawlers are permitted a maximum tnp duration of 30 days © Won-treezer trawlers are permitted a maximum trip duranon of 14 days ® Sailing permission and Arrival report © All licensed fishing vessels shall have sailing permission © At the end of fishing all fishing vessels shall report 24+ hours prior to arrive at port o After receiving arrival report, entitled officer shall inspect amount and type of harvested fish © By-catch 2 Shrimp trawlers must land, nor discard, finfish c Shrump trawlers must have at least 30°% fin-fish in the total catch o Control of mesh size: * cod-end of shrimp trawl nets must be 45 mm or larger; ® cod-end of fin-fish trawler net must be 60 mm or larger; © Shrimp trawlers must use Turtle Excluder Device (1'EDs) © All trawlers shall use specified Bycatch Reduction Devices (BRDs), including TEDs when available. Hilsa Fisheries Management Plans Hilsa is both economically and culturally important in Bangladesh and supports a vital and closely managed freshwater fishery. The HIMP has been in effect since 2003 resulting in successful conservation of Hilsa while allowing 2 100? o increase in production over the last 16 years and supporting the livelihoods of around 0.5 mullion fishers. ‘The main clement of the strategy is spatial protection of four critical spawning grounds and five Hilsa and juvenile Hilsa or ‘jatka’ sanctuary ateas/nursery grounds through seasonal fishing bans (lable 7). A compensation package to affected fishers under a GoB safety net arrangement encourages high compliance. S27 adele : Jatt Deputy Secretary Ministry of Fisheries and ee Bangladesh Secretariat. Dhake 10 Table 7 Fishing ban areas and periods specified under the Hilsa Fisheries Management Plan Ban Area Locality Ban period North East Mayani Point, Mirsarai, Chittagong in the northeast 4 days before and 17 (91°32.15' E and 22°42.59' N) days after the full moon North West Paschim Syed Awlia Point, Tajmuddin, Bhola in the including the day of full northwest (90°40.58" E and 22°31.16'.N) moon, that is, total 22 South East North Kutubdia Point, Kutubdia, Cox's Bazar in the days of the first full moon southeast (90°52.51’ E and 21°55.19' N} in the Bengali month of South West Lata Chapali Point, Kalapara, Patuakhali in the Ashwin each year southeast (90°12.59' E and 21°47 .56' N) The successful implementation of the HI'MP demonstrates the feasibility and effectiveness of this fisheries management plan, underpinned by scientfie information, in establishing appropriate catch and/or effort limitations, preventing overfishing, and rebuilding the Hilsa stock. It is clear that an unregulated expansion of Hilsa fishing in marine waters is undervay leading to the growing marine catch of Hilsa, parucularly by midwater trawiers. To ensure the conunued successful management of this stock, based on the existing HFMP, it is critical that targeted industrial trawling for Hilsa 1s to be eliminated and measures must be included to ensure Hilsa bveatch is kept to the minimum possible level in the industia] sector (able 8). Table 8 Management measures to limit Hilsa catch in Industrial fisheries Measure Notes BRD Midwater trawlers shall use trawl BRD when available, sized to exclude Hilsa, in addition to TED "Move-on” When Hilsa catch exceeds 5% of the catch in a tow by weight. the vessel must rule relocate to avoid the area Fishing Time and area closures may be introduced when specific areas are affected by closures high bycatches of Hilsa. Bycatch limit Hilsa landings are timited to a maximum bycatch of 10%" by weight of total catch, for all industrial trawlers. “Bycatch limit will be executed after development of specific BRDs for Hilsa Monitoring, control and surveillance Overview of fisheries MCS The ultimate goal of fisheries management 1s to maximize the sustainable bencfits and economic return from the country’s territorial waters and exclusive economic zone. The success of a FMP depends on it being based on adequate information and sound decision making, and being implemented through a strong and cost-effective Monitonng, Control and Surveillance (MICS) system. Such a system ts an integrated information collauoen, rule-making and enforcement system providing tools for implementation of policies, strategies and frameworks for fisheries management and other aspects of ocean and environmental governance. MCS is entical for the implemenrauon of a successful fisheries management strategy and pian that renders a fisheties management regime effecuve and sus:ainable. Implementation of MCS Bangladesh currently has the following MCS processes: ® Industrial vessels must land catch at designated ports in the presence of MI-O officials authorized to perform inspections and verifying paper based daily fish log with landed catch; pif 0 A.N.M. NAZIM UDDIN IOV H1 O65 Deputy Secretary f isheri ivestock Asimisicy of Fisheries and Lives' endear Secretariat, Dhaka Industrial vessels must use only fishing gears meeting the regulated specifications Industrial vessels require sailing petmission (SP) from MFO before deparung for fishing after submitung © proof of valid license © stipulated fee © catch log sheet of previous trip Vessels are inspected regularly or randomly by authorized personnel of MFO of DoF before and after trip at port or as shore based inspecnon at Marine Fishenes Surveillance Check posts (ALFSCs). .\t-sea monitoring of industrial fishing vessels is carned out by patrolling vessels of BN and BCG. © Patrolling vessels may carry DoF Officers as observers or in joint operations © BCG conducts patrols mcluding MCS actions within the 40 m depth contour o BN conducts patrols including MCS actions in offshore EEZ waters (seaward of 40 m depth contour) ® IUU catch certification for traceability issued by MFO for compliance with EU requirements. New management measures and MCS activities Many of the above measures and regulations are not implemented effectively or comprehensively, primarily due to limited human and logistical resources within MFO, During the span of this plan it ts intended to implement a number of new capabilines and activites. I’stablish a fount Monitoring Centre (JMC) in the Chattogram port area interagency coordination in MCS under Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for umplementation of the Marine Fisheries Act and rules in the ELZ of Bangladesh. Estabish operational clectronic ftshing vesse] licensing system including IT infrastructure, training, capacity building & reporting. Data of all registered fishing vessels incorporated in the electronic system. [:stablish infrastructure for data collection by at-sea observers with required mobile application, virtual server, database, and back-end data management softwate, with user manuals and training, to support monitoring fisheries activities and reporting to competent authority. Establish new MISC at strategic locations in coastal districts, including facilities for high spced patrol vessels to conduct joint monitoring and surveillance program with maritime cooperating agencies. Establish a new VMS through a VMS provider and require VMS installation as a condiuon of license for all industrial fishing vessels. VMS will support recording and displaying vessel position and track data, pattern of fishing activities, use of legitimate gear, catch transhipment at sea, and e-log fish catch report. VMS will integrate with AIS and establish connection with JMC for strengthening MCS activities through communication & coordination with participating marine domains for inspection and enforcement. But the legal regime requires provision by vessel owners for installing VMS transponder and borne airtime fees for satellite for sustainability question. Establish an electronic catch documentation scheme through e-reporting of catch and e-logbooks to increase transparency of fish moving through the supply chain. Seo Fag Major threats and high priority challenges Conflicts between artisanal and industrial operators The industrial and artisanal fishers share the same fisheries resources in many cases. Overcapacity and intense fishing pressure in both artisanal and industrial sectors has led to increasing competition and conflicts for the depleted resources. Although regulations to separate the sectors at the 40 m contour are in place for many vears, there is extensive infringement of inshore fishing zones by industrial trawlers and to a lesser extent by artisanal into offshore fishing areas (Figure 6). This is expected to worsen as the uncontrolled and unabated increase in numbers of artisanal boats increases the pressure on fish resources in marine waters. Improvements in tracking and patrol capacity, introduction of AIS and VMS more widely, and yatious other MCS efforts, can help to reduce incidence of conflicts. However, until there ts the means in fisheries law and regulations to control new construction of artisanal fishing boars this issue will likely remain. ‘ . ‘eS fishing zone * Oo! Sf 4 gre Mm) Rie so 109 aA deundt aa ek y ‘ ‘ & * z 1 4 aA oF ‘ \ ' ha ae ¥. © he Z Oo ¥, } j Sout 2h Fy ' a patche 't ¥ <b Migwater trawler A Gillnet (2un-Now, up to 80m) ae ® $6 Botiom trawler A. Gillnet (Dec, up to 80m) ue = Shrimp trawier A Gillnet (Apr-May, upto 80m} = -- ~ aH it % Mother shrimp (30-60m) © ESBN (up to 20m) it ” , @ Threadtin-Snapper (20-80m) + MSBN {up to 20m) ‘ Figure 6 Fishing grounds of various geat sectors operating from Chattogram and Cox’s Bazar showing overlap areas of potential conflict. Ecosystem considerations There is major concern over the non-selective over-exploitation of fishery resources by the mulutude of fishing gears being used, especially the bottom trawlers in the industrial sector and the estuarine set bag nets (ESBN) in the artisanal sector. Vhere 1s limited or no repulation to control bycatch and the mesh size regulations are widely ignored, resulting in large catches of juveniles in many cases. Roo A.N.M. NAZIM UDDIN j Deputy Secretary Vy 15 Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock Bangladesh Secretariat. Dhaka. ‘The threat to resourees near St. Martin’s Islands stemming from many vessels, both industrial and artisanal, fishing within easily damaged coral tcef and sea grass ecosystems is another concer. Ecosystem considerations raised in the survey reports from RV Meen Shandhani (Fanning et al 2019) noted that there has been a replacement of larger, slower-growing and slower reproducing proups such as Indian salmon with small-sized, fast-growing and fast-reproducing species such as sardines and scads. In a healthy ecosystem, these species are the forage base supporting the larger predatory species. Thus the increase of small species reflects a significant alteration to the ecosystem structure which may or may not be reversible in a reasonable time period. The ability to rebuild the srocks of larger and more valuable species can be significantly impaired if such an ecosystem shift has become well established. The bycatch of demersal species juveniles in the growing industrial fishery on small pelagic species will further impair the ability to rebuild the high-values stocks. High-priority issues There exists many challenges confronting the marine fisheries but given the prevailing state of marine fish catch, including species composition and serious scarcity of economically high valued species, the high priority issues are: ® Over-capacity in the industrial fleet leads to over-exploitation of the resources and reduces the economic performance of the sector e Prevalence of Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing by both national and foreign vessels e Ineffective MCS system in place-dearth of human resources, logistics and enforcement capacity * Inadequate good governance including non-compliance with existing rules and regulations, exacerbated by the top-down decision-making process and lack of co inanagement by resource users ¢ Lack of economic returns due to post-harvest losses and limited value chains and matketing opportunities ¢ Lack of food safety and HACCP due to inadequate preservation and postharvest measures. These high priority issues have been identified from stock status reports, various other reports of DoF, and were expressed in the opinions and recommendations from consultations with industrial fishing vessc] owners, associations, skippers & crews, and concerned stakeholders of both public and private sector. ‘They reflect the prevailing gaps in enforcement capacity, inadequate rules and regulations, lack of systematic and historical data. Addressing these issues means addressing the underlying causes (Table 9), including the lack of both human logistical capacity. Saigo (101d AN ead Secretary Ministry of Fisheries 908 naka Bangladesh Secretariat, 14 Table 9 Issues affecting the industrial teawling sector of Bangladesh | High priority issues | Overfishing and overcapacity of industrial FVs seriously impact on marine fisheries stocks. , Cause of Issues e Large number of industrial vessel capturing marine resources without knowing stock size: e Weak control to maintain size or number of fishing gears being operated: e High intensity of both growth and recruitment overfishing with non compliance of marine fisheries rules and regulations: e Ineffective enforcement of existing marine fisheries Act and | fishing. | Other threats and issues Destructive fishing practices ! Conflicts between artisanal | and commercial fishers’ | Inadequate or absence of good governance Loss of food quality and value of landed catch due to lack of due on-board post-harvest handling | ! | and preservation technology. | | | | Asymmetry and Inadequate , fisheries data & information |nadequate fisheries management capacity | | | CfA regulations; » Degradation of habitat and ecology due tc indiscriminate fishing and pollution: Ineffective MCS procedure e Inadequate coordination among agencies involved in MCS impedes in controlling [UU procedure; e Absence of effective monitoring and surveillance schemes in place (monitoring & inspection at sea and port. no observer scheme); e Lack of communications systems to share monitoring information among maritime domains for joint operation; e Inadequate authority and deterrence in dealing with entry of foreign fishing vessels with records of |UU fishing; | = » Use of small mesh sizes in fishing gears both at cod-end and beyond- most trawler also use bag net over cod-end, ‘ « Destroy large quantities of juveniles of high valued larger commercial species e Destruction of jatka (juvenile hilsa) at high intensity in recent yrs. by mid-water trawlers mostly operated in low depth <40 m: « Demand for low vaiue/trash fish for drying/fish meal = « Overcapacity & intense fishing effort 'eads to competition for depieted resources; « Infringement of fishing zones by industrial trawlers & non compliance of legal regulations; ¢ Nocontrol to build artisanal boats and engaging to fish; is « Complete absence of co-management arrangement in the management of common pool resources, ¢ No consultation and agreed decision among various marine fisheries associations for sustainability of resources: ¢ Insufficient institutional research and development activities on marine fisheries; e Lack of coordination among different marine domain for proper enforcement; e DoF does not have any enforcement unit to oversight MCS: » Quality deteriorates of landed catch on-board exposed to sun: » Majority of industrial trawlers do not have provision to use refrigerated sea/chilled water to maintain cool chain during sorting and bagging or Kept in trays or basket: ¢ More than 80% catch by all Industrial FVs kept in polyethylene bag as lump before transfer to freezer for preservation that takes more than 24 hrs. to freeze whole product: e Proper hygiene and sanitation and HACCP implementation is not maintained by most of the FVs: as a result quality deteriorates and price become less during auction. e Crews of FVs are not well trained to maintain personnel hygiene facing occupational hazards. e Inadequate human capacity of technical and scientific e staff involved in data collection and analyses; e Inadequate time and effort allocated to collect and analyse data and information required for Key KPls to monitor FMP: e Lack of an effective fisheries management & enforcement unit in DOF: « Insufficient logistics e.g. patro! boats, vehicles etc. to strengthen management measures: ™~ Is A.N.M. NAZIM UDDI e ~ Deputy Secretary Lb Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock Bangladesh Secretariat. Dhaka. Objectives and Management Measures Taking consideration of the resource status and the idenufied challenges facing the industnal marine fisheries sector the following objectives, and requisite management measures are adopted. The suite of key performance indicators (NPIs) with agreed targets and ume line to targets are idenufied to track management progress toward meeting the major challenges issues to be addressed in this FMP Challenge: Overfishing and overcapacity The significantly depleted state of the matine resources makes addressing fleet over-capacity, and consequent over-fishing, a critical and time-sensitive requirement. Fishing effort by the industrial flect has increased annually, most significantly in the modern midwater freezer trawlers, the group with most fishing power. 2010-14 2041-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18 2018-19 Freezer Trawler Type Modern Demersal Modern Mid water Modern White Fish 90000 4 ts Trial = a a & x= 2 x 3 = wz : T canna ge 800+ ott Ss p> = = ¢ Ss = Sse See Fs Ss fe £ ao £582 SRE PRE 222 2 FEE FEF SEE Bie ZTE 2 Es roa za Es rs = a zs Es Sector Figure 7 Fishing days per year for each industrial fishing sector. Harvest Control Rule and Total Allowable Effort The main strategy to address this will be to regulate ‘Total Alowable Effort (TAI) based on catch rate trends in recent years. The Harvest Control Rule (HCR) defines the allowable change in Total Allowable Effort from one year to the next. The HCR is designed to adjust effort in proportion to trend in stock abundance, as determined from standardised catch per unit effort. It will be implemented with a variety of management measures to ensure suitable tracking of fishing effort in season. Data hmitations and the multi-species nature of these fisheries do not allow support Maximum Sustainable Yield (ISY} management and there ts no MSY reference point available. It is therefore appropriate to adapt management measures based on the CPUE trends. ‘This HCR A.N.M. NAZI" Deputy S* nen Ministry of Fisherie “ 22) Loki Secre” ka. f of “< has been simulauon tested and shown to be robust to likely changes in the fishery over the next five years, but it will nevertheless need to be kepr under careful review during this period The fish and shrimp trawler effort has been relatively stable over the last five vears while the modern freezer trawler effort has doubled in the same ume period. Thus the HCR medium-term objective 1s to reduce the fishing effort by freezer trawlers (Modern Mid-water tawlers and Trial trawler) back to 2014/15 levels 1.c. 70°% of 2018/19 effort. The rate of reduction in fishing effort by this flect should be related to changes in standardised catch rate, particularly of sardines which are a major component of the catch. ‘The rate of reduction ts capped to allow fleets to adapt. This cap wil] be no lower than 5” o, (seven years to reduce to target of 7("o of current levels; while a 10% reduction may be applied which would reduce to the required level in four years. Table 10 Harvest Control Rule for effort reduction in 2021-22 fishing season Trawler Species Previous Recent Relative Reduction n HCR effort Type Type CPUE .. CPUE CPUE (8) CPUE reduction Fish Fish 1.617485 1.544532 0.9548972 -5% 0.95 Modern Fish 2.258360 1.967432 0.8711775 -13% 0.90 Shrimp Shrimp 1.591619 1.112634 0.6990584 -30% 0.95* “Effort of Shrimp trawlers will be initially reduced to 0.95 thar will be turther reviewed & adjusted in the following years. Table 11 Total Allowable Effort (fishing days pet sector) for 2021-22 fishing season Trawler Type Total Effort 2018/19 HCR effort reduction TAE 2021/22 Fish 5937 0.95 2640 Modern 20,626 0.90 18,563 Shrimp 4189 0.95 3979 Implementation To implement the TAF management strategy requires the following specific management measures and tools. i Long-term Objective : Minimising or eliminating over-capacity and over-fishing . Target Elimination of excess fishing effort within 5 years for industrial trawlers Fish trawler: -5% per year Modern (Mid-Water) trawler: -10% per year Shrimp trawler: -5% per year Management Measures Actions | Timeline All fishing vessels registered, Data of all registered fishing vessels . | May 2022 licensed, and all relevant incorporated in electronic system; information available in online Develop new electronic fishing license . licensing and registration system for all FVs database/s) | Electronic database fully populated for : June 2022 industrial fleet including history of entry of | vessel into the fleet via cabinet. decision, | court verdict or otherwise. | Maintain proper accounting of Complete inventory of active fishing vessels- | June 2022 | active and inactive vessels for with all details with registered. unregistered | licensing purpose and licensed; Separate list of inactive fishing vessel over | last 3 yrs; List of active and inactive fishing vessels in operation with permission of court. = gt Sern a - Jf-70"10>1 A.N.M/NAZIM UDDIN Deputy Secretary Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock Bangladesh Secretariat, Dhaka | Electronic fishing license system awareness , May 2022 ; campaigns = program planned and implemented. | Precautionary moratorium on entry ; Stop new vessel registration for fishing; Persistent of new vessels during transitional Stop issuing new fishing license: | period pending scientific advice | Complete restriction on replacement of | | review trawlers in place. Establish vessel replacement policy intended l December | , to ensure fleet size is reduced to sustainable , 2022 size while still allowing for upgraded vessel i replacements te improve fish quality and j reduce environmental impact ' Reduce number of fishing days | Allocate TAE for each vessel and monitor ' 2022-25 “dl fishing days by logbook, VMS and inspection | Challenge: Ineffective MCS procedures The successful implementation of any fishertes management plan depends on a credible and ctfeeuve MCS capability. Lhe known ability of fisheries authorities to detect and stop illegal fishing practices is one of the most important factors leading to compliance by fishing fleets, and in contrast, a lack of MICS capability leads to complete clisregard of management restricnons. “Long-term Objective - Minimize level of |UU fishing through effective MCS Target: Reduce IUU fishing to negligible levels Management Measures | Actions Timeline Develap and implementa NPOA to | Complete and approve NPOA December combat IUU fishing. | : 2021 | Execute the action plan defined in NPOA 2922 onward with coordinating partners Establish MoU amongst DoF, BN, MoU signed and in force for interagency , December BCG, CPA. MMO and Customs to | information exchange and collaboration ' 2021 strengthen coordination and , exchange information needed to ‘ enforce fisheries regulations and | | FMP provisions. \ | Establish Fisheries JMC for Joint Monitoring Centre operational December coordinated MCS measures. | | 2022 Create fishery monitoring database , Fishing information database is developed: January 2022 integrating registry and license Capacity building to all parties related to | onward , Information with ID information on | MCS procedure. ' operators. skippers and crew and | fishery infringements. | | Extend integrated database system Exchange of all relevant information | December ; ‘ with BN. BCG and DoF | developed and functional. | 2022 onward . Enhance the operationa| monitoring Computerised issuing and recording of June 2022 ’ of fishing vessel operations. departure and arrival permissions for FVs | | i departures and arrivals. MFSCs established and effective, | 2022-2023 ' Patrol vessels perform at-sea inspections ' September | | and checks of FVs. | 2022 onward | . Mandatory VMS/AIS on ail licensed | 100% coverage of industrial FVs - AIS j} June 2022 ° industrial FV | onward 100% coverage of industrial F¥s - VMS | December | : 2022 onward | Vessel owners, operators and association iJune 2022 | members trained on VMS. onward Implement on-board observer | On-board observer program mandated in April 2022 i , Program. | FMP and procedures established Observer database and infrastructure May 2022 ~ hg / a ad 18 A.N.M. NAZIM UDDIN lO O Beputy Secretary Ministry of Piaheries and Livestock 2A) Bangiadesh Secretariat, Dhaka. operational Training program for on-board observers | June 2022) At-sea observers operational ! September | | 2022 | Active enforcement and legal Effective enforcement and impose penalties , Persistent prosecution as per Marine Fisheries Act, Rules and | | Regulation | | All arrested cases are documented, | Persistent | prosecuted, and followed up. Raise awareness, training and | Effective awareness campaigns and , January 2022 support for combatting IUU among | necessary training designed and | onward fishing crews, skippers and driver of | implemented. ' LFVs. Challenge: Inadequate or absence of effective and efficient fisheries management capacity (Weak governance) A well-structured governance environment ensures that decision-making 1s transparent, informed (evidence-based), representative, and non-arbitrary. When this is achieved, compliance with management decisions is higher, success in meeting management objectives is more likely, and the costs of regulation are lower. Objective : Strengthen marine fisheries governance . Farget : An effective co-management process for fisheries management decision-making built within two years OM Management Measures ; Actions | Timeline | Establish credible and Define the mandate for an inclusive ' June 2022 ' comprehensive co-management Fisheries Aavisory Body (FAB) and process ; Processes for marine fisheries with representation from all marine fisheries sectors, affected fisheries stakeholders. environmental and social NGOs, and | scientific community | Take necessary action for establishing FAB 'August2022 | FAB to conduct stakeholder consultations on ' December draft FMPs as they are developed and ' 2022 review scientific and operational | assessments of FMP performance Working manual will be developed for | smooth functioning of FAB. ; Regional committee will be formed to i | ; Support FAB. | Build marine fisheries Train and deploy necessary human | December management planning capacity in | resources to district and upazila levels to j 2021-June DoF. implement the co-management approach to . 2023 | FMP | Develop human capacity in the Training, financial and logistic support to December ' industrial fisheries sector for build awareness and capacity in the * 2021-June | effective co-management industrial sector to participate in co- | 2023 | participation management process. | ; Develop human capacity in the Training, financial and logistic support to December Coastal districts and communities build awareness and capacity in the coastal | 2021-June " for effective co-management districts and communities to participate in ; 2023 si ' participation | co-management process. : Sao-7 0 lyr AN. O. 1607 UDDIN Deputy Secretary Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock Bangladesh Secretariat, Ohake Challenge: Prevent destructive fishing practices, discard, pollution and habitat degradation Destrucnye fishing practices lead to excessive by-catches and discarding, as well as causing habitat damage. This imposes significant and wasteful mortalnes on juveniles, as well as endangered or threatened species, and imposes major economic losses on fishertes. . Objective : Eliminate destructive fishing practices Target: Reduce or eliminate discarding at sea Reduce the propertion of under-sized (juvenile} caught below 50% of current levels in two years ' Reduce or eliminate catches of endangered or threatened species ' Reduce or eliminate trawling in sensitive habitats ‘ Reduce pollution from fishing vessels é Management Measures " Actions ; Timeline Regulate trawl selectivity to Regulate the minimum mesh sizes in trawl — Persistent reduce or eliminate retention of | cod-end: | under-size fish | Fish trawls - 60mm stretched mesh | Mid-water traw.s - 60mm stretched mesh | Shrimp trawls - 45mm stretched mesh | | Regulate use of chafing gear (extra bag on | January 2022 ; cod-end) Mid-water trawlers not allowed any chafing; | gear | | | Fish and shrimp trawis may use chafers | | only under batiom half of cod-end and | mesh size must be two times larger than | cod-end mesh | | | | Require the use of Hilsa Bycatch Reduction | June 2023 | Devices in all trawls ’ Acceptable BRDs to be investigated with | | | Industry | | Regulate size, type and number of | Restrict number of fishing vessel & gear | Persistent | trawls allowed in each sector Adhere to fishing gear specifications as . Stipulated in regulations Specific regulation to contra! ' Surveillance at sea enhanced by joint effort | July 2022 ’ destruction of Jatka (juvenile hilsa) | of DoF and 8CG and impose stringent | onward in trawl fisheries ; Measure as per law- even suspend sailing order. December 2022 | | ¥YMS record with evidence be executed to | | restrict fishing <40 m. Inspection of catch landed at port by mid | water trawler. ' =Move-on" rule: When Hilsa catch exceeds | December 2022 | 5% of the catch in a tow by weight, the vessel must relocate and avoid the area. F ishing closures: Time and area closures January 2022! | shall be introduced when specific areas are onward | affected by high bycatches of Hilsa, { i ; Bycatch limit: Hilsa landings are limited toa December 2023 j maximum bycatch of 10% by weight of total a | catch, for all industrial trawlers. | A.N.M, NAZINM + UDBIN | Deputy Secreiar, 6 Ministry of Fisheries on4 -vestock x JOY ee = Bangladesh Secretaric:. Daaka, | Persistent x) ; % “d ae Ae ; Introduce more seasonal and | Restrict/prohibit fishing in Marine Reserves ; December 2022 spatial closures based on and protected areas as per Marine onward research on times and areas to Protected Area Management Plan & Rules. | protect juvenile nursery and Increase number and area of seasonal and ' spawning stocks of important spp. | spatial closure based on research findings. | | Protect areas of unique or Identify areas of unique or vulnerable | June 2022 : vulnerable habitat habitat and establish spatial management {| onward ; . to protect them. | Prevent pollution from fishing | Awareness building & training on waste | December 2022 , vessels | management practices onward Mandate and install close circuit camera | | system with recorder | Challenge: Conflicts between artisanal and industrial fishing operations The primary operational means of preventing conflict between industrial and artisanal sectors has been a spatial division based on the 40 m depth contour. This strategy is retained however the dividing line is now specified as a geographically defined line (g¢o-fence), Industrial vessels must fish on the seaward side of the industrial fishing limit line. Co-management processes to engage both industria] and artisanal sectors are also implemented to address areas of conflict. Objective : Resolving conflicts between artisanal and industrial fishing operation Target: Identify and minimise sources of artisanal-industrial sector conflicts. | Management Measures Actions | Timeline Cross-sectorial fisheries co- Co-management approach mandated in | June 2022 " management process in place for | National Marine Fisheries Policy (currently industrial fisheries as draft) anc Fisheries Co-Management Committee (CMC)/FAB formed for industrial | fisheries. CMC/FAB meeting atleast once a yearor {| June 2022 more if required to review conflicting issues, , onward co-management progress, andrecommend | on implementation strategies to avoid inter- ' { sectorial conflict. . Establish geo-fence industrial Define geographical coordinates and clarify | June 2022 fishing limit liné te delimit fishing fishing rights and restrictions in each spatial | zone for industrial FVs, zone. i Awareness-raising and training to vessel | January 2022 | owners and skippers regarding spatial | onward management system j ’ Develop a VMS warning system to | VMS system working effectively and warning , December ' alert vessels and fisheries system developed. . 2022 onward managers of entry into restricted Report to enforcement agencies to take : geo-fenced fishing zones action on non-compliances. Challenge: Asymmetry and inadequate fisheries data and information Although the data captured from the industrial fishery meets some minimum requirements tt 1s largely based on manual processes and is subject to delays and errors as a result. Because of manual agercgauon of data, very little of the detailed data chat was recorded can actually be analysed. Comprehensive, near-real-time, and accurate fisheries data are required from both industrial and arnsanal fisheries to support MCS, scientific advice and stakeholder involvement, A.N.M. sect 2 Deputy Secretan Ministry of @iahories and Livestock Bangladesh Secretariat, Dhaka. More comprehensive data on marine fisheries such as data on the quality of the fish, the ex-vessel price of Bish, prices at different stages in the value chain, costs of fishing. employment cte. are needed to assess the economic and social contributions of the fisheries. Objective: Improving fisheries data and information ' Target: Improve data collection and information dissemination systems to a level that can be used to ; monitor the performance of this FMP in two years Management Measures Actions | Timeline Establish portal, database and Integrated database system is operational June 2022 applications system that links | and Web-portal accessing is operational. different sources of data for use in , Incorporates requirements for both industrial stock assessment. fisheries and artisanal management. | . Management and for stakeholder information ' Establish data quality assurance : Automated data validation systems is in ; June 2022 by cross validation of data from | place and functional. different sources } Establish biological sampling | Database and application developed and | June 2022 databases such as species | integrated into fisheries information portal. composition. size composition ' At-sea sampling from observers operational | December | and data available online. | 2022 Shore-based sampling operational and data December available online (coupled with artisanal catch ; 2022 sampling program). | | | Establish economic and . Monitor market prices at landing centres. , December , employment data collection for export permits and wholesale/retal * 2022 marine fisheries | distribution | Key fisheries management data of . Stakeholder Web-portal data access is ; December . marine fisheries publicly i operational. 2022 accessible | FMP: part1-Industrial available online and November status of specific limits and regulations | 2021 updated regularly Documentation of fisheries management: June 2022 data prepared and published on regular interval | b e t a s a e Challenge: Loss of food quality and value of landed catch Post-harvest losses, along with the ccosystem-level shifts in the availability of high-value species, combme to undercut the value of marine fish landings. Ensuring that all fish captured reach the marker as safe, high-qualicy food products 1s essential to improving the economic performance of the sector. Objective’ Good post-harvest practices and value addition and good prices for fishes Target: 25% reduction in the fish wastage and 25% increase in the price of trawl | catch through improved on-board post-harvest measures by 2023 from present | level, | Management Measures | Actions | Timeline | Strengthen on-board post-harvest Trained crew and technical persons of FVs July 2022 practice to retain quality of catch = on post-harvest handling and preservation; ° onward | ' to fetch more prices. | Maintained cool chain with chilled water | | Starts from landing catch on-board; Introduce use of plastic trays. Used plastic trays. baskets or other | January 2022 ! baskets or other improved device appliances and kept in freezer as per Marine | i instead of bagging to keep and Fisheries Rules; preserve catch in freezer. | Ensured enough storage space for Circulating celd air around baskets or trays in . freezer & cold storage; PEeor ole) ~~ A.N.M. NAZIM UUODIN Deputy Sects. Ministry of Fisheries 298 Le 19 Bangladesh Serr’ : ta). wa Establish well equipped required P| Developed fish landing centres hygiene, : June 2023 number of fish landing centres sanitation, chilled room, potable water | with hygiene, sanitation, chilled supply facilities: | roam, potable water supply Trained workers and staffs on hygiene, facilities sanitation and good handling; Develop shore based cold storage | Established shore based cold storage and = June 2023 | and processing facitities processing units (Public Private Initiative): onward established Trained workers and staffs on hygiene. | ' sanitation and good handling; 4 ' Review and Update of FMP The FMP recognizes the importance of generating better data and informauon to support management and policy decision making and proposes to undertake research and studies and adaptive changes in furure management measures. Annual review and adaptation of the FMP will be based on progress against the objectives as measured by scientificand management information on fisheries performance, stock assessment and biomass esnmation of important marine fishes, and results of survey cruises carried out by RV Meen Shandhani. The revised measures are finalised after broader stakcholder consultations. Mlulu-year (biannual) reviews of the FMP wall take a more in-depth consideration of the FMP to idenufy limitauons or lessons learned which need to be considered for revision of the FAP or the National fisheries strategy. Biannual reviews will be prepared by a committce of selected academics, scientists, researchers, and concerned stakeholders to address new issues, revise strategic poal s and objectives and evaluate management measures. Proposals for revised |-MP and stratepies are finalised after broader stakeholder consultations. Annual Review and Adaptation Plan Sl.No | Activity Time Line , Responsibility 1. | Compilanon and analvsis of latest available Catch & | March 1 MFO. MESMU, | | Effore data and other relevant data. } i SCMEP, Dol 2. | Review of progress in terms of objectives, fisheries | April : Review | performance, stock assessment, biomass estimation Commitree = of | & results of survey cruises (RV MS). Dot” | { 3: Stakeholder consultations | May | Dol | 44 Update and adaptauon of FMP in consultation with | June | Dok, FAB &' i Mol" | MolL Rote iG, DoF will form an FMP: part1-Industrial Review Committee, Par TN oe4 A.N.M. RAZIM UDDI N Oeputy Secretary’ bainistey of Fisheries ard Livestock Ganglacasn Secretanat, Dhaka. to Ww Ve References Dol‘, 2018 National Fish Week Compendium (in Bangla). Department of Fisheries, Ministry of I'tsheries and livestock, Bangladesh. 148p. DoF, 2020. Yearbook of Fisheries Statistics of Bangladesh, 2019-2020. Fisheries Resources Survey System (FRSS), Department of Fisheries, Bangladesh. Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock. Volume 3°; L41p. lranning L.P., Chowdhury $.R., Uddin M.S. and ALMamun M.A. (Eds. Uddin ALS. and Chowdhury S.R.}. Marine fisheries survey reports and stock assessment 2019. Department of lisheries, Government of Bangladesh. 2019. 224 pp. FAQ, 1995 Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Rome, Italy .41p. Huntington, T., \1G.Khan, S. Islam, M. Van Brakel and A. Millar 2008, Towards sustainable coastal and marine fisheries in Banglades Initiating a precautionary approach. Report submitted by the Worldlish Centre Bangladesh Office to the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, GoB. 86 ps Hussain, M.M., 1971. Commercial fishes of the Bay of Bengal. Marine fisheries and oceanographic laboratory, East Pakistan Fisheries Development Corporation, Fish Harbour, Chittagong. Project Publication. No. 1. CNDP Project PAK. pp. 60. lamboeuf, M. 1987. Demersal Fish Resources of the Continental Shelf, Bangladesh R/V Anusandhani trawling Survey Results September 1984-June 1986. A report prepared for the FAQO/UNDP Project. 26p. Olsen, E., Al-Mamun, M.A., Chowdhury, $.R., Ostrowski, M., Bernardes, I., Cervantes, D., Uddin, M.S. 2018. Survey of fishery resources and ecosystems of the Bay of Bengal: Part. Bangladesh, 2 1? August 2028. NORAD-FAO Programme GCP/GLO/690/NOR, Cruse Reports Dr. Frndgof Nansen, EAF-Nansen/CR/2020/10. Saetre, R. 1981. Surveys on the Marine Fisheries Resources of Bangladesh-Nov-Dec 1979 andMav 2080.Report on surveys with the RV Dr. Fridtjof Nansen. Insntute of Marine Research, Bergen: S4pp. SRear A.N.M. fests OL4 IM UDDIN Deputy Secretary ney of Fisheries and Livestock Bangladesh Secretariat, Dhaka. Annex 1. Fisheries institutions, otganisations and stakeholders | Fisheries Administration Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock | The administrative ministry with oversight and policy making ' (MOFL) ; responsibility for fisheries through its’ various departments and ! agencies. MoFL is responsible the policy regulations for , management and conservation of fisheries resources in, Bangladesh. It has the authority to frame fisheries policy. | strategies, Acts, Rules and regulations for administering the sector. Department of Fisheries (DoF) DoF is the principal agency of MoFL, responsible for maneaig | Bangladesh's fisheries resources. The Marine Fisheries Office. . based in Chattogram, is responsible for licensing, fishing operation regulations, catch certification, and monitoring, — control and enforcement (MCS) activities. DoF has © responsibility to draft fisheries policy, Acts. strategies, rules and regulation, for approval from MoFL. Marine Fisheries Office (MFO) The Director/Marine is responsible for imolementing the , ' management. conservation, exploitation and development of marine fisheries. This includes making rules covering issuance ~ of license, catch reporting, implementation of FAO/CCRF. and MCS, in industrial marine fisheries. Mercantile Marine Office (MMO) MMD, based in Chattogram, is a subordinate office of the Department of Shipping under the Ministry of Shipping, In addition to merchant shipping responsibilities, with respect to | fishing vessels MMD is primarily responsible for registration. ' | survey and inspection of coastal fishing vessels: issuing Safety ! t | | Equipment certificates and Seaworthiness certificates Department of Shipping (DoS) DoS is a regulatory agency under the Ministry of Shipping. mandated as maritime safety administration of Bangladesh responsible for the formuiation and implementation of the national policies and legislation to ensure the safety of life and | ships at sea, coastal and inland waters. To ensure safety of the | inland, coastal and ocean going vessels including FVs. department of shipping performs approval of the design of the ships, oversee the construction of the vessels and conducting j regular surveys as well as register the ships. The Department | of Shipping performs ship safety duty in accordance with the : | two main laws: The Merchant Shipping ordinance (MSO) 1983. | Bangladesh Fisheries BFDC is responsible for supporting processing, fisheries , Development Corporation (BFDC) | product development and distribution through management of harvesting of fishery resources and developing marketing facilities. . Planning Commission (PC) Planning Commission has the responsibility for national planning and overall coordination of all development activities. , The Fisheries Section of the Agriculture Division is the main , functional unit for fishery-related activities with a mandate to formulate strategies and programs for fisheries development: ' assist in preparation and approval development programs and projects for fisheries; technical evaluation of all fishery projects of both internal and external origin; field inspection to monitor and evaluate project implementation; periodical review of on going projects. and inter-sectorai and intra-sectoral coordination in fisheries sector. | Bangladesh Coast Guard (BCG) BCG of the Ministry of Home Affairs is mandated to enforce ° Maritime law in the EEZ: conduct surveillance: Protect fishery ; and other non-living resources from illegal exploitation. : Bangladesh Navy (BN} BN of Ministry of Defence is mandated to safi national | maritime interests in the EEZ. ee aan 25 At. NAZIM UDDIN Deputy Secretary Asinistry of F shenes and Livestock Sanolades” Secretacat Dnaka . Marine Fisheries Academy (MFA) Bangladesh Fisheries Research | Institute (BFRI) ‘Technical Universities ‘Bangladesh Marine Fisheries | Association (BMFA) Bangladesh White Fish Trawlers' ' Association (BWFTA) Fisheries Institutions and associations \ Government training institution under MoFL for training | | personnel for fishing vessels and provides four-year training ' | programs leads to graduation on Navigation, Engineering ane | Fish Processing. | BFR! under MoFL is the primary fishery, aquatic resource and | | aquaculture research agency of the GoB. It conducts and ! coordinates nationwide research efforts. standardizing | techniques to maximize production and improve resource j , Management. The institute also provides courses for ' dissemination of new skills and technologies within the fishery ‘ sector. Currently. twelve universities in Bangladesh are providing honours Bachelor and Masters degrees in the field of marine | science and fisheries, oceanography, aquaculture, marine | biology and other allied fields relevant to the fisheries sector. BMFA represents the interests of the freezer-equipped. steel- | hulled industrial fishing fleet BWEFTA represents the interests of the non-freezer. wooden- | , Boat Owners Associations {BOA) hulled industrial fishing fleet. Artisanal vessel owners are represented tirough the | Mechanized Boats Owners’ Association or the Traditional ' | Boats Owners’ Association, depending on size. engine power, and degree of mechanisation. ! ‘Deputy secretary Binisiry of Fisheries and Livesors Rangladesh Secretariat Dna