A Study on Fishing Gear and Methods in the Chalan Beel of North-West Bangladesh

Transcription

1 Journal of Environmental Science & Natural Resources 2(2): , 2009 ISSN Bangladesh Society for Conservation of Environment & Natural Resources A Study on Fishing Gear and Methods in the Chalan Beel of North-West Bangladesh S.M. Galib 1, M.A. Samad 1, M.M. Kamal 2, M.A. Haque 2 and M.M. Hasan 1 1 Department of Fisheries, University of Rajshahi, Rajshahi, Bangladesh 2 Department of Fisheries Management, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh, Bangladesh Abstract: A total of 27 fishing gears and 2 FADs were recorded at Chalan Beel. Fishing gears were categorized as nets (12), traps (5), hooks and lines (6) and wounding gears (4). Among nets, highest mean mesh size recorded cm in Chabi Jal whereas the lowest was Thela Jal ( cm). The highest fishing duration was found for Current Jal (Gill net) ( min.) and the lowest was recorded in case of Thela Jal ( min.). Highest CPUE was found in Pangti Jal ( ) and the lowest was found in Thela Jal ( ). Major fish species caught in different fishing nets were Punti (Puntius sp.) in Current Jal (45.26%), Punti Jal (73.17%) and in Pangti Jal (18.08%), Chanda (Chanda nama, Parambassis ranga, and P. lala) in Khora Jal (17.32%), Chela (Salmostoma sp.) in Dharma Jal (18.75%) and Bor Jal (23.61%), Colisa and Darkina (Esomus danricus) in Thela Jal (17.24% each), Chapila (Gudusia chapra) in Jakhi Jal (21.58%), Punti and tengra (Mystus sp.) in Moi Jal (16.8% each), Darkina in Hat-badai Jal (22.22%). Except some, majority fish species trapped in the recorded fishing traps were SIS, whereas fishing hooks and lines were used to catch carnivorous fish species mainly. Wounding fishing gears were used for wounding large size fishes during heavy flood or when water level becomes low. Fishing was also done by creating FADs using Bana and Katha in different places of Chalan Beel. Key words: Chalan Beel, CPUE, Fishing gears, FADs Introduction Fisheries sector play an important role in the national economy regarding GDP (Gross Domestic Product) (3.74%), agricultural production (20.87%), and animal protein source (58%). This sector also supports a total of 1,280,000 fishermen in the country including 770,000 inland water fishermen and 510,000 marine water fishermen (DoF, 2009). There are 114,161 ha of Beels (wetlands) and 2,832,792 ha of flooded land and Haor in Bangladesh (DoF, 2009). Fishing in these water bodies are characterized by variety of fishing gears. Simply, fishing gears are devices used to catch fish. In Bangladesh, fishermen use over 100 types of fishing gears of 9 categories (Alam et al., 1997). Loss of fish diversity and abundance is a burning issue in recent times, especially in open waters. One of the major causes of this loss is indiscriminate harvesting of fishes using illegal fishing gears and methods (Galib et al., 2009). There is no or little research efforts in this respect have been found in Bangladesh, but for proper management of fisheries resources in open water bodies, fishing gears and methods must be regulated. Proper knowledge of fishing gears and methods is essential to take decision which one is to be controlled or allowed. Thus the present study was conducted with the aim of identifying different fishing gears and fishing methods used in the Chalan Beel focusing mainly on physical description, catch composition, fishing period and CPUE (Catch per unit effort). Materials and Methods Location and description of the Chalan Beel The Chalan Beel is an important water resource in the North-West region of Bangladesh and it is the biggest beel of the country. The total area of this beel in monsoon season is about square kilometers whereas in winter and summer the area decreases down to about square kilometers. Most of the areas of the Chalan Beel has water depth of about meters. The Chalan Beel covers an area belonging to Atrai Upazila of Nowgaon district, Singra, Gurudaspur, Boraigram Upazilas of Natore district, Chatmohor, Bhangura Upazilas of Pabna district, and Tarash, Ullapara, Raygonj Upazilas of Sirajgonj district. The Chalan Beel is a combination of many small to large size beels. The main constituent beels of Chalan beel are, from west to east: Purba Maddhanagar, Piprul, Dangapara, Laror, Tajpur, Niala, Chalan, Majhagaon, Briasho, Chonmohan, Satail, Khardaha, Darikushi, Kajipara, Gajna, Bara, Sonapatila, Ghugudaha, Kuralia, Chiral, Dikshi and Gurka. The big-size depressions (i.e. beels) are mostly in Pabna district. They are: Gajna, Bara, Sonapatila, Ghugudaha, Chiral and Gurka (Alam et. al., 2003). Study time and spots This study was conducted for a period of twelve months (September 2006 to August 2007). To carry out the present study different spots of Chalan beel under 8 Upazilas of 4 districts were selected. These spots cover Atrai Upazila (Nawgaon); Natore Sadar, Singra, Baraigram, Gurudaspur (Natore); Chatmohor, Bhangura (Pabna); and Tarash (Sirajganj) Upazilas (Table 01). The study spots were selected in such a way that these spots cover all the major areas of Chalan Beel.

2 Table 1: The study spots. Sl. No. District name Upazila name Major study spot name/s 01 Natore Natore Sadar Naldanga, Madhnagar Singra Singra, Chowgram, Kaliganj, Jolarbata Baraigram Baraigram, Jonial Gurudaspur Gurudaspur, Kachikata 02 Nawgaon Atrai Atrai 03 Pabna Chatmohor Chatmohor Bhangura Bhangura 04 Sirajganj Tarash Tarash, Mannan nagar, Mohishluti Data collection and analyses Fishing gears were identified during their operation. Local name of the gear, physical characteristics, mode of operation, target fish species and CPUE of nets were recorded on the spot during survey. Recorded fishing gears were categorized into 5 types viz. net, trap, hook and line, wounding gear, and FAD (Fish aggregating device). CPUE of nets were detected by calculating number of fishes caught after every single operation. Nets were selected randomly for this purpose. Different fish caught in various nets (in percentage, %) were calculated manually by counting each fish species. Other related data were collected from fishermen. The statistical analysis like average value, standard deviation of collected data was done with MS Excel. Results and Discussion A variety of fishing gears were used in Chalan Beel. A total of 27 different types of fishing gears including 12 types of net, 5 types of trap, 6 type of hook and line, 4 types of wounding gears; and 2 types of FADs were recorded (Table 2). Chakraborty el al. (1995) described the structural designs of various fishing gears used in inland water of Bangladesh which have been classified into 9 major categories. These are (1) Dragged nets, (2) Seine net, (3) Bag nets or scoop nets, (4) Falling gear, (5) Lift nets or dip nets, (6) Drift or gill nets, (7) Hook for line fishing, (8) Wounding gear, and (9) Fish traps. BCAS (1989) recorded 13 types of fishing gears used in 4 beels of Netrokona and Sunamganj districts. Rahman et al. (1993) recorded 4 groups of fishing gears in Chanda, BSKB and Halti Beel floodplain. These groups were net (7 types and 20 sub-types), fish trap (5 types and 14 sub-types), hook and line (5 types) and spear or harpoon (4 types). Azadi et al. (2008) recorded a total of 28 types of fishing gears belonging to 13 categories in the Halda River, Chittagong, Bangladesh. Another study by Jewel (2006) identified 6 types of net, 4 types of traps and 1 type of wounding gear in Padma River adjacent to Boalia Thana under the district of Rajshahi, Bangladesh. Table 2: Different types of fishing gears used in Chalan Beel Net Trap Hook and line Wounding gear FADs Current Jal Polo Daun Konch Bana Punti Jal Kholsun Current Ek kata Katha Khora Jal Dohair Borshi / Chip Tota Dharma Jal Bhair Tengra borshi Anta Thela Jal Bitti Jiana Jakhi/Khepla Jal Dhan borshi Ber Jal Moi Jal Bor/Boa Jal Hat-badai Jal Pangti Jal Chabi Jal

3 The following sections describe fishing gears operated in the study area: a. Nets: Among the available nets used in Chalan Beel maximum length ( m) was recorded for Current Jal and minimum length ( m) was for Khora Jal (Table 3). Whereas the maximum and minimum height were recorded m and m for Ber Jal and Punti Jal respectively. Maximum and minimum mesh size recorded cm and cm in Chabi Jal and Thela Jal respectively. Highest Catch Per Unit Effort (CPUE) ( ) was found in Pungti Jal whereas the lowest was recorded in Thela Jal ( ). Table 3: Characteristics of different fishing nets (average SD; n=20) in Chalan Beel Net Length (m) Height (m) Mesh size (cm) Duration (min.) CPUE Current Jal Punti Jal Khora Jal Dharma Jal Thela Jal Jakhi Jal Ber Jal (single unit) Moi Jal Bor/Boa Jal Hat-badai Pangti Jal Chabi Jal = Not applicable or recorded M. Nurullah et al. (2005) found mesh size of different fishing nets used for catching freshwater SIS (Small Indigenous Species) are as gill nets (2-9 cm), seine nets (1-3 cm), cast nets (1-2 cm), lift net (1-2 cm), and push nets (1-2 cm). Galib et al. (2009) described current jal as one of the prime problem for reducing fish diversity and abundance. Only Thela Jal and Jakhi Jal were found to use round the year in the study area. Others nets were operated for a specific time duration mainly. Fishing net like Chabi Jal was especially designed to catch large size fish like Boal (Wallago attu) and Guizza ayre (Sparata aor) during water level of beel becomes low. Punti (Puntius sp.) was recorded as the most abundant fish species caught in different nets; some other common species were colisa (Colisa sp.), tengra (Mystus sp.), darkina (Esomus danricus), chanda (Chanda sp.) etc. (Table 4). a. Traps: Fishing traps recorded in Chalan Beel were Polo, Kholsun, Dohair, Bhair and Bitti. Fishing traps were operated in the shallow porting of the beel. Variety of fishes was recorded to be caught in these traps depending on place of operation, time, and availability of fish in the operating area. Among the found fishing traps, Bhair was especially designed to trap large size fish like boal (Wallago attu), shol (Channa striata), ayre (Sperata aor) etc. Length, width, height, major species caught, and main fishing period of different fishing traps are shown in Table 5.

4 Table 4: Characteristics of different fishing nets (average SD; n=20) in Chalan Beel Net Main fishing period Catch composition (n=5) Current Jal August-October Punti (45.26%), colisa (13.87), chanda (9.12%), tengra (7.66%), batashi (6.2%), koi (5.11%) and others (12.78%). Punti Jal August-October Punti (73.17%), colisa (11.79%), tengra (8.54%), koi (2.44%) and others (4.06%). Khora Jal July-early Chanda (17.32%), punti (15.75%), tengra (13.39%), colisa (12.6%), chapila (9.45%), kechki (5.51%), baila (4.72%), mola (4.72%), guchi (3.94%), tara baim (3.94%) and others (8.66%). Dharma Jal Late July-October Chela (18.75%), punti (15.63%), colisa (10.94%), chanda (9.38%), batashi (7.81%), kakila (7.81%), baspata (6.25%), chapila (4.69%), darkina (3.12%), mola (3.12%) and others (12.5%). Thela Jal Round the year Chanda (20.7%), colisa (17.24%), darkina (17.24%), chela (13.8%), punti (10.34%), tengra (10.34%) and others (10.34%). Jakhi Jal Round the year Punti (27.45%), chapila (21.58%), colisa (17.65%) rui (7.84%), calbaus (5.88%), koi (5.88%), tilapia (5.88%) and others (7.84%). Ber Jal (single unit) Moi Jal Bor/Boa Jal Hat-badai Jal August-early December August-early Mid August- September- Punti, colisa, guizza ayre, boal, rui, calbaus, pabda, chela, bacha, tengra, rita etc. Punti (16.8%), tengra (16.8%), chanda (14.4%), batashi (13.6%), chapila (8.8%), gutum (6.4%), colisa (5.6%), balichata (4.8%), bele (4.8%) and others (8%). Chela (23.61%), chanda (19.44%), darkina (18.06%), punti (12.5%), colisa (11.12%), kakila (6.94%), and others (8.33%). Darkina (22.22%), punti (20.83%), chanda (19.44%), colisa (12.5%), mola (9.72%), chela (5.57%) and others (9.72%). Pangti Jal September-October Punti (18.08%), colisa (14.65%), chela (14.42%), chanda (14.19%), darkina (10.98%), chapila (7.09%), potka (4.81%) and others (15.78%). Chabi Jal -January Boal (55%) and Guizza ayre (45%). Table 5: Characteristics of different fishing traps in Chalan Beel Trap name Length (cm) Width (cm) Height (cm) Major fish species caught Polo Shing, magur, rui, taki, punti, guchi etc. Main fishing period December-January Kholsun All types of SIS. August- Dohair Baim, guchi, and tara baim. July-October Bhair Boal, shol, ayre etc. August-October Bitti Tengra, bele, balichata etc. July-December - = Not applicable or recorded M. Nurullah et al. (2005) recorded 6 types of fishing traps (Darki/Doiar/Chai/ Charo, Baire/Dheal, Kakila bana, Kalsi pata, Chunga and Thusi/Baim-mara) used for catching freshwater SIS in Bangladesh. b. Hooks and lines: Six (6) types of hooks and lines were identified in Chalan Beel used for fishing. These gears were used for catching carnivorous fish species mainly. Exceptional fishing gears recorded under this category was Tengra borshi. This gear was especially developed to catch tengra fish (Mystus sp.). Different characteristics of fishing hooks and lines used in Chalan Beel for fishing are shown in Table 6.

5 J. Environ. Sci. & Natural Resources 2(2): , 2009 Galib et al. Table 6: Characteristics of different hook and lines used in Chalan Beel Local name No. of hooks Bait used Major fish caught Daun 2 Small live fish, earthworm, small frog etc. Shol, boal, ayre etc. Current Borshi 1-2 Almost all medium-large fish Tengra borshi 1-2 Smashed punti with garlic paste Tengra Dhan borshi 1 Earthworm Shol, taki, gachua, boal etc. Jiana 1-2 Earthworm, frog, cockroach M. Nurullah et al. (2005) recorded 4 types of hooks used for catching freshwater SIS in Bangladesh. These were Sip/Barshi, Borsa sip/nol barshi, Tana barshi and Daun. According to them major species caught in these hooks are as Sip (Puti, tilapia, tengra etc.), Nol barshi (catfish, shol, taki etc.) and Tana barshi (Shrimp), Daun (Shol, taki etc.). c. Wounding gears: Now-a-days use of wounding gears in Chalan Beel was found rear. Very few numbers of fishermen used these gears only at special moments like during heavy flooding period or in low waters of beel. Among the wounding gears, Anta was found as more common than others. This gear is made of 1-3 curved iron stick attached to its head of the handle. Different characteristics of wounding used in Chalan Beel for fishing are shown in Table 7. Table 7: Characteristics of different wounding gear used in Chalan Beel Name Length (m) No. of iron sticks Major fish caught Konch Kakila, shol, boal, ayre, gazar, baim, kuchia etc. Ek kata Baim, guchi, kuchia, boal, Tota Kakila, shol, boal, ayre, gazar, baim, kuchia etc. Anta Baim, kuchia, guchi, tara baim - = Not applicable d. FADs Two types of FADs were recorded during the study period, Bana and Katha. Bana is a bamboo split made rectangular structure mainly used as barrier to fish migration. Sometimes fishermen enclose a specific area of the beel with Bana and set different fishing gears (mainly fishing traps) in different points of the line of barrier. Whereas, Katha is usually created in deeper parts of the beel. Floating aquatic vegetation supported by bamboo poles or tree branches are provided to create safe habitat for fishes. Fishes take shelter in these places and when water level becomes low in dry season, people dry out the water and harvest fishes from there, which is commonly known as Katha fishing. Conclusion Majority fishing gears and methods recorded were found harmful for fish diversity and abundance. No proper monitoring was also recorded. Use of illegal and destructive fishing like current jal and katha fishing were considered nightmare to fishes of any size. Proper monitoring and establishment of fish sanctuaries are badly needed to improve the present situation. References Alam, S.S., Ali, M.Y. and Chu-fa-Tsai, Fishing gears of floodplain fisheries in Bangladesh; A case study of Chanda, BKSB and Halti beels. In: Chu-fa-Tsai and M.Y. Ali (ed.), Open water fisheries of Bangladesh. University press, pp Azadi, M.A. and M. Arshad-Ul-Alam, Fishing Gears of the Halda River, Chittagong, Bangladesh, Book of Abstract, 3 rd Fisheries Conference and Research Fair January 2008, Bangladesh Fisheries Research Forum (BFRF), p. 89.

6 BCAS (Bangladesh Center for Advanced Studies), Final report, ENIMOF project, Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, Govt. of Bangladesh, 228p. Chakraborty, S.C., Hossain, M.A. and Hoq, M.E Traditional Inland Fishing Methods in Bangladesh, J. Asait. Soc. Bangladesh Sci., 21(1): DoF, National Fish Week 2009 (in bengali), Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, Bangladesh, 120 p. Galib, S.M. Samad, M.A., Mohsin, A.B.M., Flowra, F.A. and Alam, M.T Present status of fishes in the Chalan Beel- The largest beel (wetland) of Bangladesh, Int. J. Ani. Fish. Sci. 2(3): Islam, M.S., Chowdhury, M.A. and Islam, M.S Endangered Biodiversity in Hakaluki Haor, Bangladesh J. Environ. Sci. Vol. 13(2): Jewel, M.A.S., Study on Fishing Gears and Socioeconomic Conditions of Fishermen of the Padma River, Abstracts, 2n d Fisheries Conference and Research Fair 2006, Bangladesh Fisheries Forum (BFRF), January 2006, Dhaka, Bangladesh, p. 61. Nurullah, M. Kamal, M., Wahab, M.A., Islam, M.N., Yasmin, L., Shakuntala H. Thilsted and Mazid, M.A Present status of harvesting, transportation and marketing of freshwater Small Indigenous Species of Fish (SIS) of Bangladesh, Bangladesh J. Fish. Res., 9(2): Rahman, S., Chakrabaorty, B., Razzak, A., Paul, S.K. and Chu-ta The Fishing Gear Selectivity Study, Preliminary Progress Report (May 1993), Fisheries Research Institute, TFP, Santahar, Bogra, pp