Bookbhara Baor

“Bukbhara Baor” is one of the well-known and renowned Baor in under sadar upazilla of Jessore district. The Baor is locates in the western position of the Upazilla. All of the Baors of Bangladesh is now under management either managed by the GOB or the private leaseholders. In the case of Bookbhara Baor, it is indirectly managed by GOB by organize the fishers and create a committee together with the stakeholders. This management type is well-known as the community base fisheries management (CBFM). There are lake fisheries teams (LFT) and fish farmers group (FFG) at the primary operational level and at the collective level is lake management group (LMG). LTF/FFG is involved with the operation of Lake Fishery or pond culture within Lake Boundary while LMG is the control body, this looks after the interest of all member fishers in the lake in general.

An LFT is composed of fishing members (male) who are the main beneficiaries of Bookbhara Baor. An FFG is groups of fish farmers (women) who are operate the Baor ponds. Members belonging to an LFT elect a leader who is known as the group leader. All the LFT’s of a Baor together elect an LFT committee by election among team members. Each FFG also elects an FFG leader for each pond and all FFG together an FFG committee. The LMG committee is then formed with representatives of both the LFT’s and the FFG’s of a lake. The president, secretary and treasurer of the LFT committee are also the president secretary and treasurer respectively of the LMG committee while the president and secretary of the FFG committee are the vice-president and assistant secretary respectively of the LMG committee. All LFT/FFG leaders are members of LMG committee. The LFT/FFG committee works independently to manage the lake fishery. A general meeting of all general members of the LMG is held annually. The important function of LMG committees is to move to the authorities for approval of the list of fishermen and renewal of lease. It pays lease fee for the lake on behalf of LFT and FFG’s to the government. It involves itself in all matters relating to the lake to its members and is responsible to protect the lake from all sorts of encroachments.

The total area of the Bookbhara Baor is 142.5 hectare (Jol kar, in dry season) and the average depth is 6 feet. There are five full time guards to protect the encroachment. Thirteen fishing group which permitted by the government and the LMG (Lake Management Group). The total numbers of fishermen are 352. In every fishing group there are about ten to eleven fishermen working together. The LMG provides nets and boat for the fishing group. The LMG committee gives Government 1,50,0000 taka per year as lease money. This amount of lease money is increasing 10% every year. To provide or gather this large amount of money the LMG takes 10 kg larger fish in every fishing group from everyday catch. There is also a low facility landing centre at the “Chandutia Bazar” which established by the MOF (Ministry of Fisheries).

At the time of study there are only thirty eight numbers of fish species found in the Bookbhara Baor. The check list of the fish species are given below-

These thirty eight numbers of fish species are under eight orders. The highest numbers of fish species found the order Cypriniformes. There are fifteen species out of thirty-eight species are in this order. There are only one species found under Tetraodontiformes order. There are nine threatened fish species were detected under four orders namely Cypriniformes, Siluriformes, Perciformes, Mastacembeliformes at the time of survey. A critically endangered fish species Labeo boga was collected and identified. Based on available data the fishes categorized as threatened by the IUCN red list of fishes. It is renowned that one species Gudusia chapra are going to be locally extinct. The catch rate of these species is very rare. The over all status of fish diversity of indigenous fish species is not satisfactory in Bukbhara Baors. The total fish production of this Baor mainly depends on the exotic and indigenous carp species.

At the time of survey one remarkable ITK (Indigenous Technical Knowledge) innovated that is they use coconut grids as a bite into kholsun (trap) to catch small prawns (Jal fish).

Reference:

Alam. S., 2003. The Oxbow Lakes Management and its Impact on the Livelihood of Fishers-A Comparative Study. A research report with SEFER-DFID Research Award Support. p. 1-43.

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