The anadromous tropical Hilsa shad formed the largest single-species fishery in Bangladesh, making the highest contribution to the country’s total fish production (14%) and nearly 83% of the global Hilsa catch in 2018. However, increased fishing pressure made the fishery vulnerable, and hence, information on the stock condition and its response to the current degree of removal is essential to explore the future potential for sustainable exploitation. This study carried out a rigorous assessment based on three different methodological approaches (traditional length-frequency based stock assessment method for fishing mortality and exploitation, Froese’s length-based indicators for fishing sustainability, and a surplus production-based Monte Carlo method-CMSY, for fisheries reference points estimation) for the best possible estimates of the Hilsa stock status in the water of Bangladesh. The present findings revealed that the stock is likely to be overfished due to over-exploitation. Depending on the outputs, this study recommended a lower length limit for the catch (> 33 cm), distinguished a selectivity pattern (mesh size limit ≥ 8 cm), and proposed a yearly landing limit (within the range of 263,000–315,000 tons) for the sustainable management of the Hilsa fishery in Bangladesh.

Poverty is a major threat to the coastal communities specially the estuarine set-beg net fishermen in Bangladesh. This study covers the poverty profiling of this community through traditional approaches as well as sustainable livelihoods approach. The headcount ratio of the investigated villages ranged between 43% and 74% with an average 52% which is higher then the national poverty level (37.4%) of Bangladesh. Livelihoods assets profiling shows that high level of poverty is prevailing in all the capital assets needed for the sustainable livelihoods of the estuarine set bag net fishermen. Poverty levels of different livelihood components are quantified using fuzzy method. Human poverty index, physical poverty index, social poverty index, financial poverty index and natural poverty index of the estuarine set bag net

Sanctuaries are widely regarded as a protected area where fishing has been placed under some restrictions by local, state, regional and national authorities for the conservation and management of fisheries resources. These sanctuaries have a broad array of positive and negative social, economic, cultural and political impacts on fishers. This study aims to analyze the socio-economic and ecological benefits and costs of hilsa sanctuaries to protect single most important hilsa species using Sustainable Livelihood Approach (SLA). Under the Protection and Conservation of Fish Act of 1950, six sites along the Padma, Meghna, Tetulia, and Andharmanik rivers have been designated as hilsa sanctuaries. Findings of the current study revealed that most fishers perceived production of hilsa and other species were increased as a direct consequences of sanctuaries establishment. However, a considerable proportion of hilsa fishermen was found to have low socioeconomic capital, as measured by monthly income, housing circumstances and asset ownership. During the restricted fishing season in the sanctuaries, these households are particularly vulnerable to food insecurity. The government’s compensation scheme is a good example of payment of ecosystem services in an open water fishery; however, this scheme does not include all the affected fishers. It is found that hilsa sanctuaries lead to income loss of the poor fishers which is insufficiently compensated by government support program. To compensate income loss, fishers resort illegal fishing which undermine the success of sanctuary. If the sanctuaries are to function effectively, affecting fishers must be addressed by offering enough compensation schemes so that fishers are able to support their families. Moreover, some fishers believed that a co-management approach involving fishers and government is the possible best management option for operating sanctuaries in a sustainable way.

Feed mill sweepings (FMS) were used as the substitute of the commercially formulated feed (FF) for rearing GIFT Tilapia. The average moisture, crude protein, fiber and carbohydrate, fat and ash content of the FMS were 13.23%, 34.92%, 26.07%, 5.96% and 19.80% respectively. For FF these values were 14.83%, 28.49%, 31.57%, 8.71% and 16.41% respectively. No significant differences was observed in the proximate biochemical composition between FMS and FF.  Average total weight gain in 60 days was observed to be 47.22 g and 53.45 g for FMS and FF respectively with no significant difference. The mean instantaneous growth rate per day was found 4.15±0.96% for FMS and 4.32±1.03% for FF respectively. The survival rate was 83% for FMS and 84% for FF respectively. A comparatively lower FCR that achieved with FMS (1.91) over the FF (1.97) suggested that feed mill sweepings can be used as a substitute to formulated feed in GIFT tilapia culture.