Bangladesh’s aquaculture sector is losing US$140 million over 10 years due to climate change, new analysis has revealed, highlighting the need for better climate data services.
Bangladesh is highly vulnerable to extreme weather events that are expected to increase in the near and distant future, the study said. climate risk management Highlighted.
The report said effective climate information services could help fish farmers reduce aquaculture losses caused by such events.
Research shows that flooding appears to be the most economically damaging and recurring hazard for hatcheries, open water fish and shrimp.
From 2011 to 2020, it is estimated that approximately 54,000 tonnes of aquaculture production (equivalent to US$93 million) was lost due to flooding.
The second most damaging cyclone was the cyclone, which resulted in the loss of 12,000 tonnes of seafood worth a total of US$24.8 million.
“Climate information services are a potential climate risk reduction approach that can reduce risks in the aquaculture sector by supporting farmers’ climate-resilient decision-making and production management processes,” the study states.
These services provide climate data that can support adaptation, mitigation, and risk management decisions.
Analysis shows that countries in the Global South tend to be slower to develop climate services for aquaculture due to a lack of awareness of the economic benefits and the focus of such tools on crops.
Peerzadi Rumana Hossain, a WorldFish scientist and lead author of the study, said implementing climate action in aquaculture depends on the support of policymakers.
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In the fishing industry, it is necessary to promote appropriate management of marine resources with an emphasis on the conservation of endangered fish as well as consideration for the environment and society.
Mr. Sudhir Kumar Das, Professor, West Bengal University of Animal Husbandry and Fisheries
“We have already worked with the Bangladesh Fisheries Department to develop some proposals for policy-level inclusion,” Hossain said. SciDev.Net.
He said climate information generated by the Bangladesh Meteorological Department could be channeled through the Fisheries Department to enable the department to issue recommendations and manage climate risks.
“In order to strengthen climate services at scale, private sector engagement and sustainability of a digital platform to provide climate information and advisory services to all value chain actors of national aquatic food systems.” We also need investment,” Hossain added.
Currently, more than 91% of the world’s aquaculture production (102.9 million tons in 2017) is produced in Asia, with Bangladesh ranking fifth in the world after China, Indonesia, India, and Vietnam.
Fish and fish-based foods provide 60 percent of the total daily animal protein intake of Bangladesh’s population and contribute to the nutrition and food security of the country’s vulnerable and marginalized populations. has made a major contribution.
According to the study, aquaculture and fishing contribute to almost 26 percent of Bangladesh’s agricultural gross domestic product.
However, while aquaculture farmers are increasingly affected by extreme weather events caused by climate change, there is a lack of data in Japan regarding climate changes such as erratic rain, heat waves, and cold waves in aquaculture. This makes it difficult to evaluate climate risk management interventions, analysts say.
Hossain recalled how she and her collaborators witnessed fish losses due to high temperatures and drought at hatcheries in southwestern Bangladesh.
He said farmers told researchers that if they had known that there would be no rain and temperatures this high (36 to 40 degrees Celsius) in June, they could have released the fry earlier or later. He said that it might have happened.
Sudhir Kumar Das, professor of fisheries resource management at West Bengal University of Animal Husbandry, said fisheries policy should focus on promoting fisheries and aquaculture to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
“In the fishing industry, we need to promote appropriate management of aquatic resources that focuses not only on environmental and social considerations, but also on the protection of endangered species,” Das said. SciDev.Net.
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