Fishing Gears and Practices in the Bukbhora Oxbow Lake: Implications for Biodiversity Conservation in South-west Bangladesh

Bukbhora ox-bow Lake (baor) is one of the most renowned baors in the south west Bangladesh and supports diverse fisheries communities. The present study was conducted to identify the types of fishing gears and crafts including their mode of operation in fishing in the Bukbhora baor during the period from July 2023 to June 2024. A total of 18 fishing gears and crafts were recorded at different stations of the Bukbhora ox-bow Lake. Fishing gears were categorized as nets (8), traps (3), hooks and lines (3), wounding gears (2) and crafts (2). Among nets, highest mesh size recorded 5-8 cm in fash jal whereas the lowest was thela jal 0.25 cm. The highest fishing effort/day was found for Jhaki Jal (cast net) 13-15 and the lowest was recorded in case of current and punti Jal (01). Highest CPUE (kg/effort) was found in ber jal (15-18) and the lowest was found in Thela jal (1-1.5). Similarly seine net contributed to the highest catch (70.19%) and push net was the lowest (1.00 %). Maximum fishers had pieces of kochal (Seine net) and komar (drag net) 2-5 pieces and those were jointed together (each of 18 fishers groups separately work) during the harvesting period. Fishing (harvesting of carp species) started in November-December and completed on 30th June in each season. Based on the usage, the seine net was found as the most usable gear by the fishermen constituting 78.15% and fewer amount by traps. The highest price of fishing gear was observed in case of ber jal (about 1,00,000 BDT) and the lowest price was for punti jal (250-2500 BDT). Among 16 fishing gears 5 of these were found illegal in this study due to its mesh size and destructive behavior of fish biodiversity. Except some, majority fish species trapped in the recorded fishing traps were Small Indigenous Species, whereas fishing hooks and lines were used to catch carnivorous fish species mainly. Wounding fishing gears were used for wounding large size fishes during heavy flood or when water level becomes low. This study showed that 40.91% fishers had their own fishing craft (dingi nouka) where 59.09% had no craft. It is recommended to strong implementation of all conservation guidelines and acts to prevent illegal fishing, seizing of destructive fishing gears and also protecting potential breeding habitats.