Livelihood Status of the Hilsa (Tenualosa Ilisha) Fishers: The
l Zon sta e M OPEN ACCESS Freely available online a a o n C a f g o e l m a e n n r t u Journal of o J ISSN: 2473-3350 Coastal Zone Management Research Article Livelihood Status of the Hilsa (Tenualosa ilisha) Fishers: The Case of Coastal Fishing Community of the Padma River, Bangladesh Atiqur Rahman Sunny1*, Golam Shakil Ahamed2, Mahmudul Hasan Mithun3, Mohammed Ariful Islam4, Bipresh Das5, Ashikur Rahman6, Md. Tayfur Rahman7, Md. Nurul Hasan7 and Mohammed Anas Chowdhury1 1Department of Natural Resource Management, Pathfinder Agro and Fisheries Consultation Center, Bangladesh; 2Department of Aquaculture, Sylhet Agricultural University, Sylhet, Bangladesh; 3Department of Fisheries Management, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University, Bangladesh; 4Department of Aquatic Resource Management, Sylhet Agricultural University, Bangladesh; 5Department of Fish Biology and Genetics, Sylhet Agricultural University , Bangaladesh; 6Department of Biotechnology, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University, Bangaladesh; 7Department of Fisheries Technology and Quality Control, Sylhet Agricultural University, Sylhet, Bangldesh ABSTRACT The Padma is the second longest river of Bangladesh and contributes significantly to fisheries production and dependent fishers’ livelihood. The present study assessed livelihood status of the hilsa fishers employing household interviews, Focus Group Discussions (FGDs), and key informant interviews from July to October, 2018. Main livelihood activities were fishing; fish drying, fish trading, net mending, boat making and repairing activity, agriculture, small business and daily labor. Among total 288 households, 150 were exclusively involved in fishing, 110 fishing and other agricultural farming and only 28 were involved in small business. Maximum number of fishers (39%) belonged to the age group of 31 to 40 years, 21% belonged to the age group of 21 to 30 years.
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