ABSTRACT
This chapter assesses the impact of human interventions in water ecosystems on fisheries in Bangladesh. It discusses hydrology, habitats and fish biological functions, analyses human interventions in Bangladesh, and examines their implications for fish production, livelihood support, protein availability and long-term sustainability. The chapter explores coastal and marine fisheries. It also discusses actions which need to be taken at the planning stages and ways to restore wetland habitats to facilitate open water fisheries. Hydrology and water resource of Bangladesh are highly dominated by the monsoon rainfall which lasts from June to September. The annual hydrological regime, which is the major player in the inland capture fishery, is exclusively an external factor and thus very little can be done to fix it towards a favourable environment for fisheries each year. Pollution in Bangladesh’s rivers, canals, wetlands and ponds caused by industrial and urban effluents has reached alarming levels.
