Monitoring of Fish and Shellfish Biodiversity and Marketing Channels in Fish Landing Centre, Noakhali, Bangladesh

The present study was conducted to know the species diversity and marketing channels of fish and shellfishes in Chairman Ghat Fish Landing Center, Noakhali. The diversity status of fish and shellfishes was assessed by collecting samples from the study area for a period of one year. Collected samples are identified in the laboratory of Noakhali Science and Technology University. Only 32 fish species, 4 prawn and 1 shrimp species under 22 families were found during the study period. The highest number of species (4) was found from the family Engraulidae and Palaemonidae. Among the species of fishes found, twenty-four (24) species were considered as not threatened (NO), three (3) as critically endangered (CR), and ten (10) as data deficient (DD). The non-availability and less availability of fish species indicate the alarming decline of the biodiversity of fishes in the study area and in the country as a whole. Apart from this, general pattern of marketing channels in the Chairman Ghat Fish Landing Center is - after buying fish from fishermen, middlemen bring to the wholesale market and sell to the wholesaler. The retailers buy fish from wholesaler through auction with a highest bid. The retailers then bring the fish to particular market where they usually sell the fish to the consumers. But consumers can buy fish directly from fisherman or from arotdar, or may be from beparies. Therefore, in depth long-term investigation of fish is urgently needed not only for the conservation and rehabilitation, but also for creating the awareness among the policy makers of the government and non-government organizations, groups and general mass. Finally, the outputs from this study can be applied in the development of national biodiversity strategies, biodiversity conservation planning and in integration of biodiversity information within the development and environmental planning process.