ABSTRACT

Globally, fisheries are important economic resources and support many coastal communities, but the people that rely on fishing experience a range of environmental hazards. This research surveyed 300 fishing households on Kutubdia Island, Bangladesh, regarding their fishing activities and the conditions and perceptions of risk while fishing at sea. This is an artisanal fishery of small boats used for day trips, and larger but still simple boats used for multi-day trips farther offshore. Many households (62%) reported sickness or health problems while at sea. Medicine or first aid kits are carried by only 35% of the boats. Hazards encountered at sea included bad weather (69%), pirates (60%), unfriendly encounters with larger boats (20%), and engine failure (13%). The 300 households reported that 109 fishers had been lost at sea during the past 21 years. From this we estimate an annual death rate of 1335 per 100,000 fishers here, making it among the most dangerous in the world. Bangladesh needs a regulatory framework for its fisheries to include environmental, economic, political, cultural, and social components. Such a regulatory arrangement would support the Kutubdia fishers and should be incorporated into Bangladesh’s national policy for achieving its sustainability goals.

摘要

在全球范围内，渔业是重要的经济资源，并为许多沿海社区提供支持，但是依靠捕鱼的人们会遭受一系列环境危害。这项研究调查了孟加拉国Kutubdia岛上的300个捕鱼家庭，了解他们的捕鱼活动以及海上捕鱼的条件和风险感知。这是一种手工捕鱼，用于一日游，而较大但仍简单的小船用于远海的多日游。许多家庭（62％）在海上报告疾病或健康问题。仅有35％的船携带药品或急救箱。海上遇到的危险包括恶劣的天气（69％），海盗（60％），与较大的船只不友好的遭遇（20％）和发动机故障（13％）。300户家庭报告说，在过去21年中，有109名渔民在海上失踪。据此，我们估计这里的年死亡率为每100,000个渔民1335个，成为世界上最危险的国家之一。孟加拉国需要一个渔业监管框架，以包括环境，经济，政治，文化和社会组成部分。这种监管安排将为库图布迪亚渔民提供支持，应纳入孟加拉国的国家政策以实现其可持续性目标。