Status of hilsa ( ilisha) management in the : an assessment of population risk and data gaps for more effective regional management

Item Type monograph

Authors Milton, David A.

Publisher Bay of Bengal Large Marine Ecosystem Project (BOBLME)

Download date 25/09/2021 11:09:11

Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/1834/34003 ii BOBLME-2010-Ecology-01

The designations employed and the presentation of material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations concerning the legal and development status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

The BOBLME Project encourages the use of this report for study, research, news reporting, criticism or review. Selected passages, tables or diagrams may be reproduced for such purposes provided acknowledgment of the source is included. Major extracts or the entire document may not be reproduced by any process without the written permission of the BOBLME Project Regional Coordinator.

BOBLME contract: CST-GCP 21/02/2010

For bibliographic purposes, please reference this publication as:

BOBLME (2010) Status of hilsa (Tenualosa ilisha) management in the Bay of Bengal, BOBLME-2010-Ecology-01

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Status of hilsa (Tenualosa ilisha) management in the Bay of Bengal

An assessment of population risk and data gaps for more effective regional management

David A. Milton Email: [email protected]

Report to FAO Bay of Bengal Large Marine Ecosystem Project 15 February 2010

Status of hilsa (Tenualosa ilisha) management in the Bay of Bengal

Executive summary This report summarises my assessment of the country status papers on hilsa fisheries that were presented at the BOBP – IGO 2nd Regional Consultation held at the Peninsula Hotel in , from 7 – 8th February 2010. The three country reports are included as Annexures 2 - 4. A brief assessment of the status of hilsa management in each country is then made. The assessment includes brief recommendations of potential follow-up activities that could enhance management. The status of knowledge on hilsa and the sophistication of fisheries management for hilsa varied greatly between countries. Bangladesh has benefitted greatly from a number of externally-funded projects that have helped the government implement a number of management measures. These appear to be having a positive effect on the catch rates in the artisanal fisheries for hilsa. However, the several stock assessments of hilsa all indicate that hilsa are over-exploited in Bangladesh. This excessive fishing effort has not been addressed. In India, hilsa fisheries management is a state rather than a national responsibility. The Indian status report indicates that there are currently no controls on hilsa fishing effort in West Bengal. A few legislated seasonal fishing closures may protect part of the hilsa population from fishing, but the report does not indicate on their level of enforcement. Limited assessment of the optimal production in India indicates that the hilsa populations are probably overfished. Much less information is available from . The country status report indicates that reliable data are available on fishing gears, vessels and overall export catch. No data were included on domestic catch and no scientific studies on hilsa or its habitats were reported. Following the assessment of the country status reports, I undertake a risk assessment of hilsa in each country with Productivity Susceptibility Analysis (PSA). This analysis examined the trend in hilsa productivity and susceptibility attributes in each country with a view to providing insig