Socioeconomic Features of a Traditional Fishing Community Beside the Old Brahmaputra River, Mymensingh, Bangladesh

Abstract

Fishing is an ethnic occupation of the inhabitants of Bhatipara fishing village, Mymensingh, Bangladesh. The fishermen come from the Barman Sect, a low caste of the Hindu community, and are a highly disadvantaged and neglected class in the society. They are principally group fishers and use seine nets in group fishing. The catches are normally sold to middlemen who in turn sell to the consumers via several other intermediaries. The owner of the net gets 20% of the total revenue while the remaining amount is divided equally among the fishermen keeping one share, equal to a fisherman, for the boat owner. Income distribution showed significant inequality between marginal and nonmarginal fishing households. Opportunities for employment and other income-generating activities for women are scarce (e.g. net making, fish drying, fried rice preparation, goat and poultry rearing, etc.) and these are not effectively exploited due to lack of self-confidence, awareness and social and economic freedom. The fisherfolk have no access to scheduled banks for loans due to the absence or insufficient collateral security. They do not have access to any government or nongovernment organization offering technical or credit support for improving fishing efficiency and management activities. Most of the households in the village are forced into usury transactions where marginal fishermen act as borrowers and relatively well off fishermen as lenders along with the local moneylenders. In the face of escalating poverty and gradual reduction in fish production, the fishermen are struggling to sustain their livelihood. Cage aquaculture in the nearby river with effective input supply and technical and social support may improve their livelihood and help to enhance riverine fish production.