Fisheries and Livestock Adviser Farida Akhter pledged on Saturday the government's commitment to addressing the entrenched discrimination in the fisheries sector.
Speaking at a seminar titled "Challenges and Forward: Rights of Small-Scale Fishing Communities in the Context of Bangladesh," held at the CIRDAP Auditorium in the city, Ms Akhter stressed the need for targeted efforts to better marginalised fishing communities' lives.
Coast Foundation along with SwedBio and Sustainable Development Foundation, Thailand, organised the seminar.
"The true fishermen are those who earn their livelihood from fishing, not the traders," Ms Akhter said, drawing a clear distinction.
She also focused on the wage disparities in the sector, particularly the challenges faced by female fishermen.
"We must recognise and support women fishermen equally. There should be no distinction between them and their male counterparts. If we can provide the necessary facilities, fishermen will no longer remain poor," she said.
Addressing the potential of marine fisheries, Farida Akhter also said that the full utilisation of this resource could significantly alleviate poverty in Bangladesh.
She pointed out that many species of fish remained untapped due to the absence of advanced deep-sea fishing vessels.
"We lack comprehensive data on our marine fish resources, including the variety of species and their stock levels," she explained.
The adviser revealed that the government is taking steps to acquire its own vessels to better explore these resources and called upon renowned scientists to join in this national venture.
M Rezaul Karim Chowdhury, executive director, COAST Foundation, moderated the session while Sanat Kumar Bhowmik, deputy executive director of the same organisation, presented the keynote.
The paper said the socioeconomic contribution of small-scale fishers to Bangladesh's GDP is 3.5 per cent where 20 million people are involved.
Mr Bhowmik also called for their legal recognition to ensure adequate policy attention.
He also focused on the wage disparity between men and women, limited market access and coordination issues during fishing ban periods.
Coast Foundation, however, urged the government not to sign the WTO agreement about squeezing subsidies.
Prof Dr Abdul Wahab, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Md Zia Haider Chowdhury, director of the Department of Fisheries, Adwaita Chandra Das, director of Bangladesh Fisheries Development Corporation, Molla Emdadullah, project director of Hilsa Resource Development and Management Project, among others, also spoke.
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