Management of beel fishery: a special reference to Chapaigachi beel of Kushtia, Bangladesh

Abstract

The present study was carried out to observe management system, available freshwater fishes, natural abundance of fishes of Chapaigachi beel in Kushtia Sadar Upazilla, Kushtia, Bangladesh. A field investigation was conducted on existing status of fishery for six months from May to October 2013. The beel is a closed Jalmohal of 289.77 acre and is being managed since 1999 through leasing system for three years under Ministry of Land (MoL). Currently the beel is leased out to "Nandia Matshayajibi Somobay Samity Limited" at a cost of BDT. 17, 25, 000 per year for three years starting from the Bengali year 1420 to 1422. Mainly carp fishes were stocked in the beel and managed for four to five months. A total 68 species belong to 22 families under 9 orders were identified in the beel during study period. Within 68 recorded, 52 fishes were SIS (Small Indigenous Species) and the rest 16 species were large where 5 of them were exotic species. Highest 23 species belonged to the family Cyprinidae. Various unknown migratory birds came around the beel area in the winter season.

Hydrological impacts of climate change on rice cultivated riparian wetlands in the Upper Meghna River Basin (Bangladesh and India)

“…The deepest portions of the haors, locally called beels, seldom completely dry out and water levels are maintained by exchange with shallow aquifers (Rahman et al 2016). Beels are an important habitat in the dry season for hundreds of fish species and are managed as fisheries by local communities (Miah et al 2017). They also provide a source of irrigation water for Boro rice (Hasan and Hossain 2013).…”

“…Although the projected average flooding risk decreases in the future, the permanent inundated area in December increases from the baseline value of 385 × 10 3 ha to 444 × 10 3 ha (15.3%). On one hand this reduces the extent of land that has potential for Boro rice cultivation, while on the other, increased water storage during the dry season could have beneficial ecological consequences such as providing habitat for fish with potential benefits for fisheries production (Miah et al 2017). Enhanced dry season storage could also satisfy demands for irrigation water at this time of year (Hasan and Hossain 2013).…”