Promotion of FMSP Guidelines for Floodplain Fisheries Management & Sluice Gate Control (R.8486)
Since 1992, the Fisheries Management Science Programme (FMSP) of the UK Department For International Development (DFID) has produced a series of outputs about the management of floodplain river fish stocks. These have shown, among other things, that river fish production could be increased by the careful placement and management of fishery reserves or sanctuaries, and by measures maintaining the natural migration patterns of floodplain river fish stocks. In flood control, drainage and irrigation (FCDI) systems, commonly used in Bangladesh, the operation of sluice gates at key times of the year could have a critical role in maintaining fisheries as well as providing water for agriculture.
The suite of FMSP floodplains projects has developed a strong biological basis for the management of fish stocks in floodplain river systems, and form 'cluster 9' of the FMSP portfolio. A complementary series of projects of DFID's Natural Resources Systems Programme (NRSP) has also developed 'systems' guidance on the integrated management of floodplain resources, recognising the needs of multiple resource users, especially the poor. Links to these and other floodplains-related DFID projects are given at the bottom of this page.
FMSP project R8486 was commissioned to promote these FMSP and other floodplain-related materials primarily in Bangladesh, and also in West Bengal, India, and globally via target websites (including this one). Working with collaborators in Bangladesh, the project has developed a variety of new communication products that are now being promoted in Bangladesh. At the national level, these include policy briefs, leaflets, newsletters, newspaper articles and posters, and a sponsored seminar and stall at the 2005 Bangladesh Department of Fisheries' Fish Fortnight. At selected local project sites, messages are also being delivered by focus groups; drama and 'pot songs', both to resource users, and sluice gate and fishery managers.
Many of the FMSP guidelines on harvest reserves (known as fish sanctuaries in Bangladesh) and on the integrated management of sluice gates in FCDI schemes, have already been incorporated in the Bangladesh Department of Fisheries' new national Strategy for Open Water Capture Fishery Management. For further information on project R8486 activities and the dissemination of outputs in Bangladesh, please see the web sites of project collaborators: Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies (BCAS) and Centre for Natural Resource Studies (CNRS) (both to be updated post-project).
The following parts of this web page provide 'key messages' from selected FMSP floodplains projects, along with links to project web pages and downloads of key programme outputs.
Summary of DFID Research on Asian Floodplain River Fisheries and Management Guidelines
In 1997, DFID supported a dissemination project that collated the outputs from four early projects on Asian floodplain river fisheries (see links below to FMSP projects R5485, R5953 and R6494, and RNRRS Socio-economic project R4791). The project led to the publication by FAO of Fisheries Technical Paper 384, providing guidelines for the integrated, collaborative management of floodplain river fisheries.The paper is written in two separate volumes. Part 1 presents a framework for considering the 'why, what, who and how' of managing floodplain river fisheries. Recommendations are given both on the alternative technical tools which may be used to manage river fisheries, and on the institutional arrangements required for success. Part 2 of the paper describes the underlying research work which provided the basis for the management guidelines. This includes information on environmental conditions, fish stocks, fishing practices and management arrangement used at project case study sites in Asia.
The last two documents below provide, in english and bangla, a concise Managers Guide document, prepared by Project R8486. This builds on the original FAO Fisheries Technical Paper 384, emphasising the processes involved in formulating, implementing and evaluating management plans for floodplain river fisheries, and giving links to new complementary FMSP guidance on these topics.
Downloads & Links
- Management Guidelines for Asian Floodplain River Fisheries - Part 1 (Via FAO Website)
- Management Guidelines for Asian Floodplain River Fisheries - Part 2: Summary of DFID Research (Via FAO Website)
- Floodplain River Management Guidelines Training Presentation (PowerPoint, 819Kb)
- Floodplain River Management Guidelines Leaflet (PDF, 227Kb)
- 6-page Managers Guide to Floodplain River Fisheries (English) (PDF, 509Kb)
- 6-page Managers Guide to Floodplain River Fisheries (Bangla) (PDF, 697Kb)
Selection and Management Guidelines for Harvest Reserves/Sanctuaries (R7043)
Project R7043 identified ecological, social and institutional criteria for the selection and beneficial use of harvest reserves in tropical river fisheries, and developed guidelines for their management. The project ran from November 1997 to May 2000, and involved collaborators from MRAG Ltd, the Central Research Institute for Fisheries, Indonesia (CRIFI), and three provincial Dinas Perikanan Fisheries Services in West Kalimantan, Jambi and South Sumatra in Indonesia. The project investigated the biological and socio-economic effects at case study sites with and without reserves and considered a range of factors that may affect successful outcomes.
- Adopt a collaborative approach both in selecting and managing reserves
- Manage 'whitefish' at a catchment level and 'blackfish' at a local level
- Select reserve locations carefully, considering who will benefit and how
- Develop reserve management rules that are appropriate to local conditions and that will deliver the best overall benefits to stakeholders
- Manage adaptively - monitor the results, compare with other places, and adapt rules as needed
- Harvest Reserves Selection and Management Guidelines Document (PDF, 753Kb)
- Harvest Reserves Key Messages Presentation (PowerPoint, 630Kb)
- Harvest Reserves Training Presentation (PowerPoint, 872Kb)
- Harvest Reserves Leaflet (PDF, 301Kb)
- Visit Project R7043 web page
Management of FCDI Sluice Gates for Benefit of Fisheries (R8210)
Flood control, drainage and irrigation (FCDI) schemes exist widely in Bangladesh. FCDI schemes are built to benefit farmers and to protect communities against extreme flooding. Whilst the benefits to farmers can be significant, FMSP and other research has shown that fish stocks inside FCDI schemes are both less abundant and have lower diversity than outside. Reduced access of migratory whitefish species is largely responsible for these losses.
Based on the research of FMSP project R8210 (and see also project R5953), six recommendations are presented below to help improve the catches and diversity of fish inside FCDI schemes. These recommendations neither require the construction of costly fish passes nor any structural changes to existing sluice gates. Instead they can be easily implemented with the help of local stakeholders and should have minimal impact on farming livelihoods.
Key messages on improving fish access to FCDIs- Maximise the flow of water (and therefore fish) into FCDI schemes during the rising flood period.
- Open sluice gates as frequently as possible and attempt to minimise the turbulence of water outside sluice gates during the rising flood period.
- Control ebb flows from sluice gates to attract more fish towards sluice gates while not exceeding the maximum swimming speeds of fish.
- Control fishing activities along channels connecting the sluice gates to the main rivers.
- Close sluice gates towards end of ebb flood to retain more water within FCDI schemes during the dry season.
- Encourage alternative cropping strategies and the retirement of marginal low-lying agricultural land that is prone to early flood risk.
FMSP Approaches to Modelling Floodplain Fisheries
In developing the above guidelines, FMSP projects have used a range of approaches to modelling floodplain fishery resources, including both empirical models and population dynamics models. These modelling approaches are described in the presentation below. This is provided for adaptation or use in academic courses, or training workshops aimed at building awareness about the range of approaches that can be used to guide the management of floodplain-river fisheries resources. Full references and download links are provided in the presentation.
In the empirical category, the presentation illustrates both linear and non-linear models that have been developed on the relationship between fish catches and resource areas and fishing pressures. Bayesian network modelling approaches have also been developed to study the importance of different factors in determining the effectiveness of co-management arrangements (that may be useful both in floodplains and other fishery resources).
In the population dynamics category, an age structured model is shown that extends the common 'dynamic pool' modelling approach to include the effect of hydrological factors on fish production. An application of the 'BEAM 4' multispecies, multigear model to floodplain resources in Bangladesh, Thailand and Indonesia is also illustrated.
Downloads & LinksLinks to DFID-Funded Floodplains-Related Projects
For further information on the FMSP floodplains projects, and other DFID-supported projects of relevance to floodplain river systems, please see the links below. (Note that some early projects have no web sites, and some recent ones may not yet be fully updated)
Credits and Disclaimer
This web page and some of the materials provided for download were developed by FMSP project R8486. This document is an output from a project funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID) for the benefit of developing countries. The views expressed are not necessarily those of the DFID.
| Contacts | ||
| Contact | Dr Daniel Hoggarth | Dr Saleemul Huq |
| Role | Joint Project Leader | Joint Project Leader |
| Organisation | SCALES Inc. | IIED, London |
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