the river harvest peaks during November and December. Floodplain species arrive in the markets between May and
December, with a peak between October and December (FAP 17, vol 20 1994).
Mitigation:
Various measures have been suggested for conserving SIS. Hossain's (1998) suggestions include the following:
• aquacuIture;
• conservation of wetland biodiversity;
• reforestation;
• preservation of surface area;
• germplasm preservation and
• public awareness of land use policies.
Awareness raising campaigns have been suggested (Ali ] 997), focusing on the preservation of the habitat and maintaining
biodiversity.
IFADEP-SP 2 have initiated some aquaculture trials in the Northwestern region of Bangladesh. This has shown some
success with the breeding and rearing of Mola, Kholisa and Raik.
Research by the Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute (Hossain et al 1998) to develop seed production and culture
technologies for S]S has met with some success for the fo]lowing species:
Koi-Anabus testidineus;
Puti-Puntius sarana;
Cavashi Tengra-Mystus cavasius.
They also emphasised the importance of habitat improvement.
FAP 6 (1993) proposed sustainable water management and the involvement of fishers in fisheries management as an
alternative to aquaculture production of SIS.
Field Survey: PRA Results
Rapid participatory rural appraisals (PRA) were carried out in two districts, namely Faridpur and Tangail for the reasons
already discussed (see section 3.3:Methodology). PRA activities consisted of group discussions and individual interviews.
This section of the report is divided into two parts: the first part deals with the group discussions, while the second deals with
the individual interviews.
Group Discussions
Group discussions were carried out in fisherfolk communities, and in several thanas of rural Faridpur. Several socio-
economic categories were covered and respondents! participants included:
• professional and traditional fisherfolk;
• part-time fisherfolk;
• subsistence fisherfolk;
• consumers;
• traders.
Three case studies are presented below which summarize the main issues raised during the group discussions.
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