Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali urged the international scientists to give more attention to the Bay of Bengal and assess the possible changes in marine fish stock there, reports UNB.
"We would urge that the ongoing international scientific studies give particular attention to the Bay of Bengal and assess the likely changes in marine fish stock there," he said while talking about the growing adverse impact of climate change on marine ecosystems and biodiversity.
The Foreign Minister was speaking at the 'Global Oceans Action Summit for Food Security and Blue Growth' being held at the World Forum in Amsterdam, said a press release Friday.
Mahmood Ali made a seven-point recommendation on a host of issues, including good governance for conventional fisheries management, establishment of marine protected areas, transfer of technology, promotion and protection of traditional knowledge, reducing marine pollution, capacity building for fish stock assessment and sustainable management of small scale fisheries.
He mentioned the present government has given added attention to promoting the growth of 'Blue Economy' as part of Bangladesh's long-term national development strategy.
Speaking at the high level segment of the summit, the foreign minister said, "The centrality of oceans and seas for our planet makes a compelling case for their inclusion as a stand-alone goal in the post-2015 Development Agenda, including the SDGs (sustainable development goals)". He said 30 million people of Bangladesh have direct livelihood dependence on oceanic economic activities like fisheries and commercial transportation.
The foreign minister pointed out that despite such dependent countries like Bangladesh did not possess the critically required resources, capabilities and technologies for leveraging their marine resources.
Earlier in the morning, the colourful opening ceremony of the summit was addressed, among others, by the Prime Minister of Grenada Dr Keith Mitchell, US Secretary of State John Kerry, and Minister for Agriculture of the Netherlands Sharon Dijksma.
Later in the evening, Foreign Minister Mahmood Ali attended an event on the sidelines of 'Small Scale Fisheries' even arranged by the Rockefeller Foundation.
