'Fishermen discards two-thirds of their catch while catching Hilsa'

Fishermen in Bangladesh throw away nearly two-thirds of their catch while targeting hilsa, causing extensive damage to marine resources and biodiversity, according to Fisheries and Livestock Adviser Farida Akhter.

She made the remark on Monday while addressing a national conference titled “Building a Sustainable Food Supply System by Preventing Food Waste”, organized by the Center for Policy Dialogue (CPD) at the Sonargaon Hotel in Dhaka. CPD Executive Director Dr. Fahmida Khatun moderated the session.

“Fishing vessels often head to sea with the sole aim of catching hilsa and a few other species. With the help of technology, they locate the fish, collect the targeted ones, and discard the rest. This practice results in a huge waste of marine fish,” Akhter said.

Highlighting broader food security concerns, she added that despite Bangladesh’s notable economic growth over the past five decades, malnutrition remains a pressing issue due to unequal food distribution. “Preventing food waste is crucial to ensuring food security,” she said.

Quoting assessments from the World Bank and the World Food Programme, Akhter said between 15.5 and 16 million people in Bangladesh are still suffering from acute food insecurity, a condition projected to continue until 2025. At the same time, certain sections of the population are over-consuming food, she noted.

She further revealed that about 21 million tonnes of food are wasted annually in the country across the entire production chain, from farms to consumers’ tables.