Bangladesh will host a two-day international workshop on “Blue Economy” in September this year to discuss ways to better explore the untapped resources of the Bay of Bengal, a foreign ministry official said Saturday, according to a news agency.
The Sept. 1-2 workshop will help generate more awareness and broaden horizons towards utilising resources of the sea and thus bring about socio- economic changes in the lives of people of Bangladesh, said the official, reports the Financial Express.
Bangladesh government seeks growth of blue economy related to resources of the ocean, Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali said addressing the ‘Global Oceans Action Summit for Food Security and Blue Growth’ held at the World Forum in the Dutch capital recently.
He called for good governance for conventional fisheries management, establishment of marine protected areas, transfer of technology, promotion and protection of traditional knowledge, reducing marine pollution, capacity building for fish stock assessment and sustainable management of small scale fisheries.
Some 30 million people of Bangladesh have had direct livelihood dependence on oceanic economic activities like fisheries and commercial transportation.
Despite such dependence countries like Bangladesh do not possess the critically required resources, capabilities and technologies for leveraging their marine resources.
The total collection of fish from the Bay is around 6 million tonnes annually. Of this, Bangladesh’s share is only 0.29 million tonnes.
