About Us
Bangladesh is blessed with a vast aquatic resources and offers suitable climatic conditions for growing fish and other aquatic organisms of economic importance. A number of universities have been offering education in fisheries science over last 40 years, and three government organizations, such as Department of Fisheries (DOF), Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute (BFRI), Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC), and Bangladesh Fisheries Development Corporation (BFDC) have been engaged in extension and training, research, and exploitation and marketing of fish and fishery products. Besides, a number of large NGOs have been playing a very important and significant role in fisheries development through implementation of their various programmes. Fish and shellfish production has increased from 0.6million metric ton in ‘80 to over 2 million metric ton in 2005. Bangladesh is now ranked 7 th in total fish production in the world, and has become one of the top 5th exporters of aquatic products with an export value over 300 million US$.
With all these success stories, Bangladesh is still far behind its potential in exploiting the benefit from her aquatic resources. So far we have made some progress in freshwater aquaculture with a modest growth in coastal shrimp and prawn farming. Our vast coastal and marine resources mostly remain untapped and demand immediate attention for its sustainable exploitation through application of new technologies. The inland riverine floodplain resources need scientific management and conservation through community participation for deriving sustainable benefit for today and tomorrow. For addressing all these issues, the scientific resources of the country, that is aquatic/fisheries scientists should come closer and exert cohesive and concerted actions to carry out demand-led research for exploration and exploitation of these valuable aquatic resources of this country. Similarly extension agencies, NGOs and private entrepreneurs can not work in isolation-all must come closer to further the development of the fisheries sector.
Therefore, we need a professional organization where we all can belong to. Bangladesh Fisheries Research Forum (BFRF) foresees ahead to be flourished as an organization to provide a platform for scientific collaboration, team work and future horizon of research and development activities in fisheries sector.