Dhaka, Dec. 1 -- Bangladesh's marine fish stocks are declining at an alarming rate because of illegal, unregulated and excessive harvesting in the Bay of Bengal, Fisheries and Livestock Adviser Farida Akhter has warned.

Speaking at a briefing on the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries (EAF)-Nansen Survey 2025 in Dhaka on Sunday, she said preliminary findings from the latest RV Dr Fridtjof Nansen survey signal an urgent need to rethink the country's marine fisheries management.

Key Findings and Concerns

Farida said the survey reveals an overall reduction in fish stocks driven by overfishing and destructive fishing gear.

She said that among the country's 273 industrial trawlers, 72 operate with advanced technology that is being misused-caus...