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Bangladesh: Permanent Fish Sanctuary at Hail Haor and Hakaluki Haor: Home to Indigenous Fish

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Wetlands are a significant source of local fish of Bangladesh as well as other diverse aquatic resources. The role of wetland is not only limited in fish production but also provides other ecosystem services to the local community, poor resource users and also plays vital role against adverse effects of climate change.

Actually wetlands support the livelihoods of many poor resource users and local community in many contexts. Wetlands are composed of diversified species of flora and fauna in a unique ecosystem. Hail Haor and Hakaluki Haor are important breeding grounds of indigenous fish. Once both freshwater wetlands were full of aquatic vegetation, but what remains is not insignificant. But how long it will survive is a question. However, I never like to give up hope.

 

Some important initiatives have been taken both from the government and nongovernment organisation through the support of different foreign donors. One of the initiatives was to declare these waterbodies as fish sanctuary in 2003. Fish Sanctuary is a concept where a specific water body have water holding capacity round the year, will play the role of mother fishery and safe breeding ground of indigenous fishes and the fish will spread entire haor areas in monsoon season. This process will enhance the fish production and number of species, conserve the endangered species and overall meet the local demand and contribute in national level.

Realisation and the initiative for conceptualisation was taken by the USAID funded “Management of Aquatic Ecosystems through Community Husbandry (MACH)” project and the nongovernment organisation Center for Natural Resource Studies (CNRS). Several conservation measures from 2004 to onward has been taken by CNRS through different projects and support of local administration including stopping hunting and fishing in this sanctuary, deploying community guards, excavating some parts of the sanctuary, planting swamp seedlings, installing artificial wooden nest box for cotton pigmy goose, placing submerged concrete hexapods and pipes to shelter fish, raising awareness among the local people, conducting training for the capacity building of community organisation and many more.

Now this sanctuary is managed by a local community organisation with the direct support and supervision of local government administration and Department of Fisheries (DoF). This sanctuary is a safe habitat for fish and local and migratory birds. It acts as a unique model for fisheries resources conservation in a sustainable manner.

In 2012, once again Ministry of Land took a breakthrough decision by cancelling the traditional lease systems of 12 potential water bodies out of 273 water bodies of HakalukiHaor and declaring them as Fish Sanctuary. That was a worthwhile decision in context of conservation as well as sustainable fish production. Now those declared sanctuaries are managed by different community organisation termed as Village Conservation Group (VCG) which were formed by Department of Environment (DoE) for the protection and management of Hakaluki Haor as Government declared this freshwater wetland as Ecologically Critical Area.

Different projects of DoE with the financial assistance and technical support of UNDP, USAID, CNRS and direct supervision of district and upazila administration of Moulvibazar and Sylhet district, a number of interventions including submergible dam establishment, excavation of water bodies, swamp plantation, community guarding and alternative livelihood support are being implemented for the protection and management of this wetland and sanctuaries. Now-a-days these sanctuaries are important breeding grounds of fish and safe habitats for birds.

But, the major gap in the declaration is that the sanctuaries of Hakaluki Haor are not declared as permanent. It kept the hope alive of some influential people that they can get the water bodies through existing leasing systems. Now they are trying to motivate and convince the Ministry of Land, Upazila and District level official for getting the sanctuaries through the leasing systems.

Another limitation is that there is not any approved sanctuary management guideline mentioning the role of different stakeholder for the proper management and monitoring of the fish sanctuaries. Gap in inter-ministerial coordination for conservation initiatives was also found in between Ministry of Land and Ministry of Environment and Forest and/or Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock. As a result conservation interventions and monitoring of freshwater wetland sanctuaries are given low priority by district and upazila level officials.

Sustainable fish production and fisheries resources conservation in freshwater wetland like Hail haor and Hakaluki Haor should be given top priority rather than present revenue driven mechanism from wetland by Ministry of Land. Government published “ECA Management Rules 2016” should be implemented urgently in Hakaluki haor. Foremost initiative is to declare the sanctuaries of Hakaluki Haor as permanent and will be treated as mother fisheries for the entire hoar areas.

In the meantime natural and planted potential swamp forests of Hakaluki Haor should be under management of local community organisation with the supervision of local administration. A sanctuary management guideline is a crucial demand and must be prepared through participatory approach from the resource users to technical expert stakeholders by which local fishers will get more benefit in open fishing as well as fish production will be enhanced.

Therefore, any decision in cancelling the sanctuary of the Hakaluki Haor will goes against the conservation, environment, biodiversity and sustainable management. We have to conserve the wetland and its sanctuary for the survival of ourselves and our future generation.