World Wildlife Day 2019
Going Wild for Marine Wildlife in Bangladesh
By Elisabeth Fahrni Mansur
March 3, 2019
[Note: this is the fifth in a series of blogs by staff in the WCS Marine Conservation Program in recognition of World Wildlife Day 2019.]
Healthy Ocean — Healthy People. This is the theme WCS has been promoting through an interactive educational outreach initiative that aims to build partnerships among fishing communities and civil society to secure a bright future for marine wildlife — including dolphins, porpoises, whales, sharks, rays and marine turtles, in Bangladesh.
The momentum had been building and the success of our efforts was clear as we approached World Wildlife Day. Indeed, we received invitations to convene our exhibition and speak at three major events scatted across the country. It promised to be a wild day for marine wildlife in Bangladesh.
The sun was just rising in south-eastern coastal town of Cox’s Bazar while Nadim Parves, WCS Bangladesh Educational Outreach Officer, was putting the finishing touches on the exhibition set up in a massive tent located less than 100 feet from one of the country’s largest fish landing sites.
The arrangements appeared under control so Nadim took the opportunity to wander over to the landing site, which is one of eight locations where WCS monitors the catches of sharks and rays.
As Nadim watched the large numbers of sharks and rays being landed — some, like the scalloped hammerhead shark and giant freshwater whipray, threatened with extinction — he noticed a crowd of people bidding on a large fish. The prices being offered were extraordinarily high, more than US $5,000.
Nadim asked one of the members of our Citizen Science Shark and Ray Data Collection Network about the fish. The reason the price was so high is that the swim bladder (or fish maw), weighing a little more than one pound, fetches an even higher price in China,where it is believed to have medicinal properties.
This news sent a chill down Nadim’s spine since he knew that the demand for the swim bladder of a very similar fish, the totoaba, is the primary reason for the dramatic decline and probable extinction of the vaquita, a diminutive porpoise that lives in the upper Gulf of California. These porpoises get caught in illegal gillnets set to catch totoaba.
The appetite for marine wildlife body parts, not only fish maw but also shark fins and ray gill plates, drives the illegal wildlife trade around the world and is one of the primary challenges facing marine conservation. Nadim returned to the exhibition even more energized to spread the word about the need to protect marine wildlife for a healthy ocean and healthy people.
With its partner NGO, WorldFish, and with funding from USAID, WCS welcomed almost 1,500 visitors, mostly local fishermen and their families, to the exhibition. After the experience with the fish maw at the landing site, it was encouraging for Nadim to see the amazement of the visitors as they were guided through informative panels.
The panels showcased high quality photographs and infographics; life-size models of dolphins, sharks, rays and turtles; and interactive games that encouraged them to discover fun facts about Bangladesh’s rich diversity of marine wildlife.
As this was going on, I took the Healthy Ocean — Healthy People theme to the big city in Dhaka. This event was organized by the Forest Department, which is among our key government partners in Bangladesh, and featured several speakers from academic and research institutions that presented on Bangladesh’s rich and diverse yet threatened marine biodiversity.
Guests included high-level government officials vital to developing pro-wildlife policies in the country. All the speakers championed a healthy ocean to support a growing human population and economy, and they urged that research results be transformed from words into deeds. According to the Chief Conservator of Forests, Mr. Mohammed Shafiul Alam Chowdhury, “We need to do much more, but we cannot do it on our own.”
At the same time on the other side of Dhaka, two WCS staff, Shanta and Galib, engaged a very different crowd of more than 50 university students, teachers, and U.S. Embassy staff in an interactive event at the American Center. Sustaining the theme of a Healthy Ocean — Healthy People, Shanta and Galib highlighted the dolphins, whales, sharks, rays, and marine turtles of Bangladesh and their connection to sustainable marine fisheries.
During the event they discussed the threats these animals face and efforts being made to protect them. Participants especially enjoyed touching shark fins and ray gill plates. They were surprised to learn about the largely unmonitored trade in Bangladesh of sharks and rays — mostly for international markets but also for an emerging domestic trade in shark and ray meat that is a cheap source of animal protein for local people.
It was a busy World Wildlife Day for WCS in Bangladesh. However, the overwhelming positive response we received from participants at all three events — from fishermen and their families, to high-level government officials, international diplomats, and students — give us great hope for a vibrant future for marine wildlife in Bangladesh.
As the Chief Conservator of Forests stressed, “we cannot do it alone.” But we remain convinced that by building partnerships though innovative educational outreach and engaging with diverse marine stakeholders, WCS can achieve a healthy ocean for healthy people — and for all marine wildlife in Bangladesh.
Elisabeth Fahrni Mansur is Director of Education and Livelihoods for the Bangladesh Program at WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society).
