A new report studying fish consumption in Bangladesh has exposed what its authors argue is a link between growth in aquaculture and reduction in poverty.
The nonprofit research organization Worldfish produced the report, together with the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies. The report is the result of a 10-year study of fish consumption in Bangladesh, and appeared in the journal World Development. The report found that growth in the aquaculture industry there led to job creation, but also health benefits from eating more fish.
“Sustainable aquaculture has long been acknowledged as an important tool in the fight against global hunger,” said Stephen Hall, Worldfish’s director general. “As evidence consistently proves this point, there will be greater incentive for investment in the sector while at the same time supporting the development of sustainable wild capture fisheries.”
Aquaculture in Bangladesh now accounts for 53 percent of fish production there, with an estimated 2011 value of USD 3.37 billion (EUR 2.5 billion).
