By Snehaa Sundaram | Project Leader
In view of the vast expanse of the sea it was believed that the resources of the sea are almost inexhaustible and, we can put in more and more fishing effort to get higher and higher yield. Sufficient evidence has, however, been accumulated to show that this belief is not true.
The Bay of Bengal’s basin, near the southern part of West Bengal, contains some of the most populous regions of India and of these, a major proportion are partially or wholly dependent on fisheries for their sustenance. The South-24 Parganas district of the state has magnificent mangrove (Sundarbans) cover that plays a major role in sh breeding. It also happens to be the nursery ground for the shes that migrate and lay eggs in this zone. Given this scenario, the fisheries of the Bay of Bengal have been under pressure for decades and are now severely depleted. Many once-abundant species have all but disappeared. Particularly badly affected are the species at the top of the food chain. The bay was once rich with species of dolphins, sharks, grouper, croaker and rays which are now rare. Mechanized trawlers and rush for the “pink gold” i.e. tiger prawn fishing, has forced the fishers to use nets which literally scoops the whole seafloor ecosystems as well as other vulnerable species. The dragging of nets by the fry catchers along the intertidal mudflats uproots the mangrove seedlings and salt marsh grasses, which otherwise could have generated several ecosystem services like control of erosion, bioremediation, carbon sequestration etc. On the marine species front, as per a study, 313 juveniles of 37 species of finfish was destroyed only for 17 tiger prawn seeds. Classified as bycatch (which also amounts to hunting), they are largely discarded and left to rot, instead of being released back into the wild.
To stop this loss of biodiversity, WTI with your kind support. is working with almost 60 fisher folks from targeted villages in Sundarban landscape in incentivizing the release of the valuable bycatch. We aim to mobilize the fisherfolks and provide buckets to store and release the bycatch immediately and help restore this threatened ecosystem. We are thankful to Global Giving for their constant encouragement and for helping us reach out to individuals like you.
We thank you for your continued support as we undertake more project to stop hunting and over exploitation of many vibrant and ecologically significant species (terrestrial or marine), all across India.
By Avrodita Chakladar | Project Leader
By Snehaa Sundaram | Asst. Programme Officer- Wild Aid
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