Caught between debt and the sea: Coastal Bangladesh’s fishers fight poverty while protecting biodiversity 

Abdul Karim, a fisherman from Bagerhat's Sarankhola upazila on Bangladesh's southern coast, and his family look forward to the fishing season every year. It is the only time Karim earns enough money to sustain his family throughout much of the year.

But before going to sea, Karim needs money to access the fishing resources he depends on. Six months before the season begins, he borrows Tk50,000 from a local fish trader. In return, he promises to work on the trader's boat and sell his catch to him at an agreed upon price. During this time, he has little choice; his family needs food and he has no savings.

When the fishing season arrives, Karim may work for weeks at sea. If fish prices double in the market, however, it makes no difference to him. His agreement is already fixed, and he must sell his catch to the same trader at the lower price.

For many landless fishermen, this is a common reality in Bangladesh. Most of them pre-sell their labour. 

Because there is a shortage of money to run their households, when they go fishing in December, by June they run out of money. So, in June, what people like Abdul Karim do is approach a boat owner or arotdar [fish trader/intermediary] and negotiate an arrangement, "I'll go fishing with you on your boat. You'll give me Tk1 lakh but give me Tk50,000 in advance." 

So, the labour is already sold in advance. But even if the price of labour becomes Tk1.2 lakh later, they cannot do anything about it.

If a fisherman owns a small boat and starts a voyage with five other labourers, including himself, the overall expenses could amount to Tk7–8 lakh, covering food, accommodation and fuel.

To cover all these expenses, when a fish trader agrees to buy all the fish from that boat at Tk100 per kilogram, the boat owner has to accept the offer because, at that time, he needs the cash just to take the boat out. 

But when he returns, the market price of fish can rise to Tk200 or Tk300 per kilogram. Here too, the fisherman has no choice; he has to sell it for Tk100.

The bigger problem arises when fishermen are unable to catch enough fish to repay the money they borrowed. The lender then charges interest on the outstanding amount, sometimes as high as 40%, which must be carried over into the next fishing season, forcing many fishermen to repeat the same cycle of borrowing and repayment.

This practice, known locally as "dadon", keeps the fishers trapped in a cycle of debt and poverty.

To reduce this poverty and inequality among marginalised coastal fisherfolk while protecting Bangladesh's marine ecosystems from overfishing, destructive fishing and pollution, the FISHNET project is working directly with the fishing communities. 

Funded by the Ocean Community Empowerment and Nature Programme and supported by UK International Development, the project is led by Uttaran, with Action Against Hunger, CNRS, WJCC, CBDP and SheRee as consortium members.

"We believe that our environment is deteriorating because the people who are the actual farmers and actual fishers do not have control over the resources. They remain extremely poor and are dominated by others," says Zahid Amin Shashoto, head of programme for Uttaran's Climate Change and Water Governance unit. 

FISHNET has two primary objectives: improving the environment of coastal areas and seas through protection and conservation, so that fish stocks and biodiversity can recover; and addressing the structural poverty of fisherfolk while protecting the resources on which they depend.

"To reduce the pressure on Marine Protected Areas, we train fishermen on IUU fishing so that they do not engage in illegal, unreported or unregulated fishing. At the same time, we try to provide them with alternative livelihood support. So, we provide both training and support." Arifuzzaman, technical deputy programme manager, Action Against Hunger

Addressing the structural poverty 

One major problem of poverty is landlessness. Many fisherfolk live on embankments — the government khas land or land belonging to the Water Development Board. Some may have only two or three decimals of land on which to build a house, and many lack secure rights to it.

"Providing land is very difficult because Bangladesh has limited land. So this is the first structural issue," Zahid Amin says.

Landless people can normally apply for khas land through the Union Parishad and Khas Land Management Committee, but access is complicated by legal and social barriers. FISHNET helps people understand where to apply, assists with transportation costs and mobilises local civil society groups to advocate for fisherfolk.

"Land is therefore a political issue in Bangladesh," Zahid Amin says, arguing that policy alone is not enough. The government must make political decisions about whether land will be allocated and for what purpose. "Should the government allocate land for a thermal power plant, or for landless people's settlement? That is the issue of competing priorities."

The second major structural problem is the lack of productive resources. Many fisherfolk do not own boats or fishing nets. FISHNET therefore helps them gain access to resources through cooperatives. Fisherfolk with Fisherfolk Cards can form cooperatives of around 20–25 members and apply for government-managed khas water bodies, or khas jolmohal.

In the past, wealthy individuals could obtain Fisherfolk Cards from groups of fishermen for Tk500 or Tk1,000 and use the cards to gain control of water bodies. FISHNET instead supports fisherfolk to register their own cooperatives and provides financial assistance so they can participate in auctions for khas jolmohal.

"Once they obtain the khas jolmohal, we also provide some support for fish cultivation," Zahid Amin says. A five- or 10-bigha water body can provide an asset for one or two years. Fisherfolk can earn income from it during fishing-ban periods, including hilsa bans or restrictions in the Sundarbans. The additional income can eventually help them buy their own boats and nets.

Women in fishing communities face another livelihood crisis. Since catching shrimp fry from the sea or the Sundarbans is illegal, many women have few alternatives. Shrimp farms pay women less than men — around Tk200 a day compared with Tk400 — and work may be available only one or two days a month.

As a result, some women catch shrimp fry in rivers near their homes. "For every shrimp fry caught, around 280 other fish fry are destroyed," Zahid Amin says, citing research. Other studies suggest the number may be as high as 950. The practice is both environmentally damaging and illegal, but poverty leaves women with few choices.

FISHNET provides livelihood support to help women move into alternatives, including small shrimp farms, fish cultivation and other businesses. "We provide training plus grants," Zahid Amin says. A Tk21,000 package combines a grant with training from relevant government departments, depending on the livelihood selected. Support can include fish farming, mud-crab cultivation and small businesses.

The project also addresses education. Children under 15 who have dropped out of school can attend a one-year transitional or informal school using government non-formal education modules before being helped back into mainstream education. Older children receive pre-vocational training, while vocational training is available for those aged 18 and above.

Through cooperatives, fisherfolk without boats or nets gain access to government-managed khas water bodies, creating new opportunities to earn a living.

Conservation

FISHNET's conservation strategy is designed to bring protection closer to the communities that depend on fisheries. Although the government has committed to protecting 12% of Bangladesh's marine area as Marine Protected Areas, managing large areas far out at sea is difficult when government agencies have limited resources.

The project has identified six areas where mother fish travel from the sea to lay eggs. It plans to establish canals, wetlands and other important habitats as community-managed protected areas, potentially under the framework of Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures.

"Instead of relying only on policing, we want to bring communities together and have them actively participate in conservation," Zahid Amin explains.

Community groups can help manage these areas and prevent destructive practices such as poisoning and the use of illegal monofilament "current" nets. The project also plans to employ local people as night guards, restore mangroves and provide alternative livelihoods for people whose incomes could be affected by conservation restrictions.

"Many people living around these wetlands and canals depend directly on fisheries. Conservation cannot succeed if protecting an area means taking away the income of the people who live there," Zahid Amin says.

The approach draws partly on Bangladesh's experience with community-based forest conservation and traditional systems of protecting fisheries. In the Halda River, for example, communities have historically observed periods when mother fish are not caught, helping protect breeding grounds.

"They already have their own mechanisms for protection," Zahid Amin says. "Now, if we can reintroduce a similar system, people can protect the resources themselves in the way they used to."

Beyond supporting coastal communities with immediate livelihood opportunities, FISHNET focuses on reducing pressure on marine resources. 

One of its key areas of intervention is addressing illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. The project provides fishermen with training on responsible fishing practices, including the use of appropriate fishing gear and mesh sizes, legal fishing methods and boat licensing requirements. It also provides training on safety at sea, including the use of life-saving equipment and other necessary safety measures.

This work is closely linked to marine conservation, particularly around Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), where reducing fishing pressure is critical to protecting marine ecosystems. The project works with fishing communities to discourage IUU fishing while helping them explore alternative sources of income.

Women from fisherfolk communities participate in a capacity development session aimed at strengthening their skills, knowledge and livelihood opportunities.

"To reduce the pressure on Marine Protected Areas, we train fishermen on IUU fishing so that they do not engage in illegal, unreported or unregulated fishing. At the same time, we try to provide them with alternative livelihood support. So, we provide both training and support," says Arifuzzaman, technical deputy programme manager, Action Against Hunger. 

For communities that have traditionally depended heavily on fishing, FISHNET promotes alternative livelihood opportunities linked to the blue economy such as sea weed farming. 

"We are trying to introduce activities connected to the blue economy so that people who have traditionally depended on fishing can have alternative livelihoods. This can help reduce their dependence on fishing while also reducing pressure on marine resources," Arifuzzaman added. 

FISHNET is also exploring the possibility of turning former illegal fishers into conservationists. "People who previously used poison or illegal fishing nets may know better than anyone who is engaging in those practices and where they occur," Zahid Amin says. By employing some of them as night guards and involving them in conservation, the project hopes to turn former offenders into protectors of the resources they once exploited.