Impact of Fish Farming on Household Income: A Case Study from Mymensingh District (Case Study‪)‬

INTRODUCTION It is hard to ignore the importance of fish in Bangladesh. It is located on a major river delta adjoining to the Bay of Bengal, much of its land mass is low lying and it has high levels of rainfall. All of these factors contribute to its suitability for aquaculture and the importance of fisheries. The fisheries resources of Bangladesh are significantly important to the national economy. Some 1.3 million people directly and 15 million people indirectly are involved in the fisheries sector and fish is the main source of animal protein for the people of the country (BBS, 2008). Fish consumption remains a major source of essential dietary nutrients in most households in the country. Per capita annual fish intake is estimated to be about 12 kg contributing to about 60% of animal protein intake. Bangladesh has immense natural potential for developing the fisheries sub-sector. The sub-sector contributes 4% of the GDP and 20% of the agriculture sector (BBS, 2009) and Fig. 1 shows that the growth rate of this sub-sector is rising recurrently.