Final Copy Expanding the Protected Area System to Incorporate Important Aquatic Ecosystems project Biodiversity Friendly Guidelines on Fisheries for the Wildlife Sanctuaries in Bangladesh Sundarbans Cover page photo: Collection of PL by Md. Modinul Ahsan, Divisional Forest Officer, Khulna Division, Bangladesh, and Project Director, Expanding the Protected Area System to Incorporate Important Aquatic Ecosystems (EPASIIAE) Project, Bangladesh Forest Department & UNDP Bangladesh. Irrawaddy dolphin by Prof. Dr. Monirul H. Khan, Department of Zoology, Jahangir Nagar University, Savar, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Ganges River dolphin by Md. Rezaul Karim Chowdhury, Project Manager, Expanding the Protected Area System to Incorporate Important Aquatic Ecosystems (EPASIIAE) Project, Bangladesh Forest Department & UNDP Bangladesh. The guideline prepared by- Dr. Khandaker Anisul Huq Professor Fisheries and Marine Resource Technology Discipline Khulna University, Khulna-9208 Bangladesh & National Consultant Biodiversity Friendly Sectoral Guideline Specialist (Tourism, Maritime Traffic and Industrial Development) UNDP EPASIIAEP Project 1 Preface Aquatic mammals are important animals for balancing the biodiversity in the natural habitats. Nowadays, because of climate change, environmental fluctuations and human interventions most of the aquatic mammals in Bangladesh have been recognized as vulnerable species throughout the river systems in the country, more especially in the Sundarban Reserve Forests (SRF). Several organizations claimed this animals threatened, even thinking them to be extinct. Therefore, global diversity of dolphins is declining day by day. Sundarbans supports the last two remaining freshwater dolphins, the Endangered Ganges River Dolphin (Platanista gangetica), and the Vulnerable Irrawaddy Dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris). In this report, the author worked with different resource users and stakeholders and tried to find out the probable cause of challenging dolphin and fish biodiversity in the sanctuary areas in SRF. The possible causes for threatening dolphins including fishing activities into the meaningful boundary of cetacean sanctuary, aquatic pollution and climate change. Fry collection, aquafarm discharge, establishments and navigations are considered major causative agents for dramatic reduction of biodiversity, ultimately effect on the food chain of dolphins. The author unravel the gaps in the existing management policies of the government for protecting the aquatic biodiversity of sanctuary areas in Bangladesh Sundarbans and finding out the potential actions that shall be strengthen the existing management system. This guideline will be helpful for better conservation of the aquatic biodiversity in the sundarban sanctuary areas through strengthening biological and environmental support of aquatic organisms; and implementation of management policies. Khandaker Anisul Huq 25 May, 2018 2 Executive summary Aquatic mammals are very sensitive and one of the good indicators of climate changes. Now a day due to climate change and anthropogenic activities these animals are being threatened and some are going to be extinct, therefore global diversity of mammals are declining day by day. Here in the contrast of Bangladesh these species are generally threatened with extinction across their range. The possible causes for threatening dolphins include fishing activities, aquaculture into the meaningful boundary of cetacean sanctuary, aquatic pollution and climate change. Fry collection and over fishing in Sundarbans sanctuaries dramatically reduced the biodiversity, which affect on the food chain of dolphins. Additionally fishing net, dams and barrage construction on the migratory route restrict the movement of dolphins. In these circumstances this is the high time to take necessary initiation for the protection and conservation of cetacean’s species from extinct. Although many organizations around the world like IUCN, UNDP, AquaFish are continuously working on the protection and conservation of these aquatic and terrestrial organisms, and many regulations have been established on this issues. However, the problem is proper implementation of those regulations. Considering those problems the current research has been conducted with the aim to establish a biodiversity friendly guidelines on fisheries for the wildlife sanctuaries that will focus the level of fishing activities in the ecologically meaningful boundaries of cetaceans sanctuaries in sunderbans and also to find out the gap of policy implementation in fisheries management related to cetaceans, create alternative livelihood of coastal fisher communities as well as increasing awareness of the resource users in Sunderbans. 3 Table of Contents Preface ....................................................................................................................................... 2 Executive summary .................................................................................................................... 3 Acknowledgement ..................................................................................................................... 7 List of Tables ............................................................................................................................. 8 List of figures ............................................................................................................................. 9 List of Acronyms ..................................................................................................................... 10 PART 1 .................................................................................................................................... 13 1 Introduction and overview .............................................................................................. 14 2.1 Reviews on Ganges River and Irrawaddy Dolphin ............................................ 15 2.1.1 Biology of dolphin ......................................................................................... 15 2.1.2 Threats to Dolphin in Bangladesh Sundarbans .............................................. 22 2.1.3 Human intervention ........................................................................................ 22 2.1.4 Natural calamities and environmental changes .............................................. 25 2.1.5 Freshwater flow and salinity fluctuations ...................................................... 26 2.1.6 Pollution ......................................................................................................... 26 2.1.7 Degradation of fish biodiversity ..................................................................... 27 2.1.8 Trophic structure/ food chain in Sundarbans ecosystem ................................ 28 2.1.9 Disturbances: e.g. unplanned tourism, navigation, net barriers etc. .............. 29 2.1.10 Management and conservation strategies for Dolphin sanctuaries ................ 30 2.1.11 Existing Acts in Bangladesh .......................................................................... 33 2.1.12 Existing international policy issues (Nepal) .................................................. 35 PART 2 .................................................................................................................................... 36 3 Situation analysis ............................................................................................................ 37 3.1 Context ............................................................................................................... 37 3.1.1 National context ............................................................................................. 37 3.1.2 Climate and geographic context ..................................................................... 39 4 3.1.3 Biodiversity significance ................................................................................ 39 3.1.4 Ecological and biodiversity context of the Sundarbans ................................. 41 3.2 Administrative and governance context............................................................. 46 3.3 Socio-economic context ..................................................................................... 46 3.4 Profile of fishers in the sundarban area.............................................................. 47 3.5 Fisheries in Sundarbans ..................................................................................... 48 3.5.1 Fish species .................................................................................................... 49 3.5.2 Crustacean species ......................................................................................... 49 3.5.3 Common gears ............................................................................................... 49 3.5.4 Destructive gears ............................................................................................ 49 3.5.5 Illegal fishing ................................................................................................. 50 3.5.6 Livelihoods of Sundarban resource users ...................................................... 50 3.5.7 Killing fish stocks in Sundarbans ................................................................... 51 3.5.8 Sundarbans: Fisheries and Fishing Communities .......................................... 51 3.6 Gaps in existing management and conservation ................................................ 52 Part 3 .......................................................................................................................................