Highlighting the extreme discrimination faced by fishermen and the fisheries sector in general, Fisheries and Livestock Adviser Farida Akhter said on Saturday that the government is working at its highest capacity to eradicate the existing discrimination in the fisheries sector.

She made these comments at a seminar titled 'Challenges and Forward Rights of Small-Scale Fishing Communities: The Context of Bangladesh' at the CIRDAP conference hall.

Those who catch fish for their livelihood are the real fishermen. In this case, businesspeople cannot be included. Referring to wage discrimination among fishermen, the adviser said the recognition of female fishermen needs strong support—they should not be differentiated from other fishermen. If opportunities and facilities are provided, fishermen will no longer remain poor.

The adviser further stated, “If we can truly utilise marine fisheries, Bangladesh will no longer be poor. When we only consider fish resources, it is evident that many species have not yet been included in our harvest. In fact, we do not have the advanced vessels needed to harvest fish from the deep sea."

“We do not know the exact number of fish species in our resources or their stock. The government is trying to address this by bringing in its own vessels, and she called upon renowned scientists to come forward for the nation's benefit.”

Referring to hilsa as a gift from Allah, the adviser said if the migratory route, where hilsa moves from saltwater to freshwater and back, can be fixed, hilsa production will increase significantly and hilsa will become a major asset for us. The Adviser further stated that due to past governments’ subservience to India, during the hilsa fishing ban in Bangladesh, Indian fishermen would enter our maritime boundary and catch hilsa. The government is working to solve this issue.

The Adviser also mentioned that, like rivers, the sea is not free from pollution. River water flows into the sea, causing sea pollution as well. The excessive use of plastic in the country needs to be stopped. Many of the fish we consume contain microplastics. Therefore, we must work to make Bangladesh plastic-free. She also stressed the need to give more importance to the protection of fish in haor and river areas. Local fish production needs to be increased and made available to all.

Rezaul Karim Chowdhury, executive director of the Coast Foundation chaired the seminar.