Skip to main content
Feed the Future
This project is part of the U.S. Government's global hunger and food security initiative.
  • About
subscribe

Agrilinks

Search Log In

Main Menu

  • Topics
  • Events
  • Activities
  • Tools & Training
  • Members
  • About
subscribe

Hilsa Shad Fishery Success in Bangladesh

Md Hussain

Dec 03, 2019
Hilsa weighing
Photo Credit: M. Gulam Hussain, Fish Innovation Lab

This post is written by M. Gulam Hussain with the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Fish, and originally appeared on their website. 

Hilsa, Tenualosa ilisha, is a large anadromous shad that is the national fish of Bangladesh. It is a very popular food fish in the country. The fish has enormous benefits for human health due to its availability of essential micronutrients, minerals, and polyunsaturated fatty acids (i.e., omega-3 fatty acids) in its flesh and other edible parts of the body. At present, 50-60 percent of the global hilsa catch takes place in the coastal and marine waters of Bangladesh, 20-25 percent in Myanmar, 15-20 percent in India, and the remaining 5-10 percent in other countries (Hossain et al., 2014).

Previously, it was not clearly known how many independently breeding populations were available in Bangladesh. Therefore, during 1980-1982, the Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute (BFRI) conducted a population genetic structure study of hilsa throughout the geographical ranges in parts of Asia, including Indonesia, Kuwait, and Myanmar, but focusing mainly on Bangladesh under the technical assistance of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) in Australia.

In that study, sequence variations in five genes—Idh-l, Idh-m, Mdh-l, Mdh-m and Pgm—were analyzed from fish livers and muscle with a technique called starch-gel electrophoresis.  Although levels of variation were low, no significant differences in allele frequencies were detected within Bangladesh or Bay of Bengal (southeast India and Myanmar) samples  (Figure 1). This study revealed that the Bay of Bengal comprised a single population of hilsa shad (Salini et al., 2004).

Figure 1

Figure 1. Country comparisons of allele frequencies of hilsa shad (Salini et al., 2004)

No other hilsa population has yet been clearly identified after the BFRI study. To further promote the hilsa fishery, its biotechnology and genomic studies, and its ecology and biodiversity in the coastal and marine waters, BFRI, the Department of Fisheries, Bangladesh Agricultural University, the University of Dhaka, and WorldFish have implemented effective research and development projects/programs in partnership with the Bangladesh Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock.

Hilsa represents greater than 12 percent of the total fish production in Bangladesh, but this has not always been the case. In 2000-2001, hilsa production was very low at 0.2 million tons per year; therefore, the government of Bangladesh requested BFRI to formulate the Hilsa Management Action Plan, which was implemented by the Department of Fisheries in 2003.

This plan was designed to help with conserving natural hilsa breeding grounds and protecting young hilsa, known as jatka, through periodic fishing bans. These bans, which originally included 10-22 days during October and recently added up to 60 days in March and April, apply to all the hilsa-spawning water bodies (selective southern rivers, coastal, and marine waters). Through these regulations, Bangladesh was able to achieve sustainable growth of hilsa production, and production in 2017-2018 increased to 0.52 million tons.

The Hilsa Fishery Management Plan of Bangladesh could be a good lesson in well-planned fisheries management for the recovery of an economically important fish species.

References

  • Hossain, M. S., Chowdhury, S. R., Navera, U.K., Hossain, M. A. R., Imam, B., & Sharifuzzaman, S. M. (2014). Opportunities and strategies for ocean and river resources management. [Background paper for preparation of the 7th Five Year Plan]. FAO: Dhaka, Bangladesh.
     
  • Salini, J.P., Milton, D.A., Rahman, M.J. & Hussain, M.G. (2004). Allozyme and morphological variation throughout the geographic range of the tropical shad, hilsa Tenualosa ilisha. Fisheries Research, 66, 53-69.

M. Gulam Hussain is the Bangladesh Country Coordinator at the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Fish and the former Director General at BFRI.

Filed Under: Agricultural Productivity Markets and Trade Policy and Governance

Comments

Part of the Activity

Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Fish

You May Also Like

post

Threatened Fisheries Resources and Biological Diversity of Baikka Beel Sanctuary at Hail Haor Wetland in Bangladesh

The Baikka Beel Sanctuary is a unique example of wetland best management practices at Hail Haor wetland ecosystem.

Md Hussain

Sep 10, 2020
post

The Shore-Based Diet: Fish in Hominin Evolution

Why does the fish story from our evolutionary past matter now? Some populations have lost access to shore-based diets and animal foods, with serious consequences for their health and survival.

Agrilinks Team

Dec 10, 2020
post

Building Resilience of Fishery and Aquaculture Systems

Development of new technologies and practices to improve the resilience of aquaculture and fisheries to meet income and nutrition needs of vulnerable groups, especially women and young children

Agrilinks Team

Dec 04, 2020
post

Nature’s Contributions to a Food Secure Future: Summary of Findings from the IPBES Global Assessment of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services

While people across the globe have access to more food, energy, and raw material than at any point in human history, nature is declining globally at unprecedented rates, with grave...

Sara Carlson

Jan 06, 2020
Follow Agrilinks:
  • Youtube
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • RSS
Agrilinks
Achieving agriculture-led food security through knowledge sharing
MarketLinks
Market-based solutions for development
LearningLab
A collaborative learning community of development professionals
Landlinks
USAID's knowledge sharing platform focused on land tenure and property rights
Climatelinks
A global knowledge portal for climate change & development practitioners
Urbanlinks
USAID’s sharing platform for resources on sustainable urban development
Resiliencelinks
A global knowledge platform for resilience practitioners
Globalwaters
Sharing knowledge and ideas to solve global water and sanitation challenges
U.S. Agency for International Development
  • Accessibility
  • Contact
  • Help
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
The information provided on this website is not official U.S. government information and does not represent the views or positions of the U.S. Agency for International Development or the U.S. Government.

Search Agrilinks

My Account

  • My drafts and published content
  • My profile
Sign out

Contribute To Agrilinks

  • Add a post
  • Add an event
Need help?

Subscribe

Subscribe to receive our weekly newsletter featuring the latest and greatest Agrilinks content.

You'll also receive invitations to upcoming Agrilinks webinars and other special announcements. We won't share your email address and you can unsubscribe at any time.