Abstract
The Sundarbans represent the largest remaining tract of coastal mangrove wetlands in tropical Asia. The dynamics of the fish communities are poorly understood, and current research indicates a fragile ecology. Various development projects have had serious negative impacts on the estuarine fishes in nearby parts of Bangladesh. Impacts on the fisheries tend to affect the poorest elements of the society, the landless subsistence fishermen. The record of development assistance agencies is poor, with respect to the environment in general and fisheries in particular. Taking steps to rectify the problem would include environmental review of projects prior to and during project implementation. Given the lack of a pure research base in the tropics, applied research is often modeled on temperate systems, which can be disastrous. Thus, it is also suggested that basic research on the environment be supported in order to build an understanding of tropical ecosystems prior to any attempts at manipulation of these ecosystems.
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Additional information
1. I would like to dedicate this work to the memory of the late Professor Karl F. Lagler, who introduced me to Asiatic fishery work in the Mekong River during the middle 1970's and in Bangladesh during the late 1970's. Much of what I saw and learned in those projects has aided me in more recent studies and will serve as a source for ideas for years to come. Preparation of this paper was supported in part by National Science Foundation grant BSR85-16738 to Walter J. Rainboth and Donald G. Buth. I thank Professor Don Buth for reading and commenting on the manuscript.
Rainboth is a research scientist in the Department of Biology at UCLA. He is a fish specialist with Species Survival Commission of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. During the last 15 years, he has conducted faunal surveys and stock assessment for development projects in the Mekong River of Southeast Asia, the Gangetic river system of Bangladesh, and the Gambia River of West Africa. His research interests include quantitative systematics and faunistics as well as the seasonal dynamics of fish communities in floodplain ecosystems.
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Rainboth, W.J. The fish communities and fisheries of the Sundarbans: Development assistance and dilemmas of the aquatic commons. Agric Hum Values 7, 61–72 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01530437
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01530437