Together We Stand

Weather events, cyclonic storms, loss of life and damages in BoB region The WBoB region is highly prone to cyclones and extreme weather events. Subsequent to the 26 December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, studies have indicated that there are high chances of catastrophic events like tsunamis due to movements of tectonic plates. 9 In terms of weather events, during 2010-2015 there were 133 events in the BoB with 50 of them leading to an estimated loss of 1,700 lives and damage worth about US$16 billon. 10 In terms of fishing activities, this implies loss of fishing days (economic loss) and loss of life and property (economic and social losses). [ 134 ] management of important fish stocks such as hilsa fisheries between Bangladesh, India and Myanmar (presently a cooper- ating party to BOBP-IGO) and shark fisheries between all the BOBP-IGO member countries. The BoB being situated in the tropical region, the fishery portrays a complex picture of multi-species and multi-gear configurations and it is difficult to develop stock-specific plans for most of the commercially important species. To address the issue of mixed fisheries management, BOBP-IGO has instituted a Regional Training Programme on Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries and a Regional/National Training Programme on Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management. These programmes primarily target fisheries and environment officials to develop the required capacities and subsequently work as resource persons to impart knowl- edge to a larger set of stakeholders. The major challenge to manage such mixed fisheries is also to set up a sound fisheries MCS regime that can ensure compliance with the stipulated rules and regulations and in the process minimize the scope or extent of IUU fishing. However, with traditional open access systems, distributed fishing opera- tion centres and the low human and financial capacity of the management agencies, fisheries MCS remains poor. The region is often identified as a hotspot of IUU fishing resulting in loss of revenue and over-exploitation of the stocks. T ogether W e S tand 0 5 10 30 0 500 1000 1500 2000 Cumulative estimated damages (million USD X10) Weather events Cumulative estimated deaths 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 15 20 25 Source: North Indian Ocean tropical cyclone Fishermen enacting a folk drama on safety at sea to increase awareness on weather warnings in Chakoria, Cox’s Bazaar, Bangladesh Image: S Jayaraj, BOBP-IGO