Well-being Status of Fishery Stakeholder Groups: A Comparative Study Between Improved and Poor Fish Handlers in Haor and Floodplain

This study presents a comparative analysis of well-being status between improved fish handler (IHs) and poor fish handler (PHs) groups of Kishoreganj haor and Daudkandi floodplain. Two hundred seventy respondents were surveyed randomly through structured questionnaires, focus group discussion (FGD) and key informant interview (KII) from July, 2018 to October, 2019. Young people (11-30-year group) were dominant in both the two stakeholder groups in haor and floodplain. Most of the stakeholders belonged to medium size family (5-8 persons) in both the groups. Access to education, electricity, kitchen, housing and sanitation facilities were comparatively better in IHs than PHs in both haor and Daudkandi floodplain fisheries (DFPF). In Kishoreganj haor, higher number of IHs possessed above 12 decimal of homestead land. The quality of life was comparatively better in IHs than PHs. About 45% IHs and 48.89% PHs in haor areas received health service from the Government hospitals, while it was 38.57% and 52% in DFPF, respectively. Monthly income and yearly savings were higher in IHs than PHs in both study areas. Lack of proper knowledge on pre-harvest, harvest and postharvest handling practices of fish from fishing to transport into retail markets were found to be the major constraints of poor quality and low price of fish. IHs had comparatively better well-being status than the PHs. It is, therefore, suggested that improved fish handling must be practiced by all the stakeholder groups to improve their well-being status. Article history Received: 03 Oct 2020 Accepted: 10 Jan 2021 Published: 30 Mar 2021


Introduction
Bangladesh has diversified water resources in the form of ponds, haors and beels, baors, flooded cultivated lands, canals, rivers and estuaries (DoF, 2018). Haor is, therefore, a highly productive natural source of livelihoods that support millions of poor people who engage themselves in fisheries related activities such as capture and trading. On the other hand, seasonal floodplains are the important sources of fish production in open waters where the poor fishers undertake fishing free of cost for their livelihoods. Recently, floodplain aquaculture with embankment / enclosure has been widely practiced by the land owners particularly in Daudkandi and Muradnagar areas of Cumilla district, and expanding in other areas of the country (DoF, 2007). Aquaculture could be one of the best options for the rural people that can generate income, employment and food security and can contribute significantly to alleviate rural poverty (Rahman et al., 2005). The livelihood pattern of haor people is quite different and they are more disadvantaged than those of the mainland or non-haor people due to unique geographical settings (Rahman and Salam, 2008). In case of both the haor and floodplain fisheries, coordination among the different stakeholders at policy planning, implementation and target beneficiary level, particularly among the agencies responsible for development and management of water resources and fisheries are lacking. Therefore, postharvest loss in fisheries was found to be very high in both the areas, although situation seemed to be different based on different socio-economic and technical condition of the two regions.
Fish is a perishable commodity, and in Bangladesh average post-harvest quality loss in wet fish encountered is 12.4% (Nowsad, 2010). If the prevailing mishandling situation continues with such post-harvest fishery losses, it will bring about serious catastrophe in the protein supply and nutrition status of the half-starved and nutrition-deprived people as well as the healthconscious consumers of the country who find the quality fish as an important source of neutraceutical item for healthy living (Nowsad, 2005). Low quality fish and fish products are the great concern of food security and public health and these also bring serious economic loss that fishery stakeholders suffer year after year (Nowsad, 2010).
Livelihood of fishing communities, ethnic people and other neighboring stakeholders are entirely depend on fishing, fish trading and processing. Minimizing postharvest loss of freshwater fish during distribution and marketing would be an important key element in increasing profit and ensuring food and nutritional security without intensifying the fishing or aquaculture effort. As understood, post-harvest fishery loss varies among the stakeholders based on their level of awareness, attitude, empowerment, fisheries management practice and other socio-economic conditions (Nowsad, 2010). In the haor, mostly unorganized, unempowered ethnic and marginally poor fishing communities are involved in fishing and other fishery related trades. Most of them do not follow the improved handling practice prescribed by FAO Codex or FIQC, hence huge post post-harvest loss occur which tend to increase economic loss also. As a result, the social well-being status of the fishery communities would be lower than those stakeholders who follow improved handling practice. On the other hand, the Daudkandi floodplain fisheries (DFPF) are operated by local landowners and inhabitants to culture fish under organized CBFM or community enterprise. So, their responses towards awareness and skill improvement on adopting improved handling practice and reduction of post-harvest loss would be different from that of the resource users of haor areas. The stakeholders in DFPF follow the improved handling practice that might reduce post-harvest loss and increase income by increasing the value of fish. For this reason, the well-being status of DFPF stakeholders could be higher than that of haor areas.
Considering this backdrops, this experiment was conducted to determine and compare the well-being status between improved and poor fish handling stakeholder groups (IHs and PHs, respectively) in two different floodplain fisheries, one in Kishoreganj haor and other in Daudkani floodplain.

Study areas and study period
The study was conducted in 10 fish landing centers at 5 haor Upazila, viz., Karimganj, Tarail, Nikli, Kotiadi and Itna of Kishoreganj district and 10 floodplain-based culture fisheries projects at Daudkandi Upazila of Cumilla district for a period of 16 months from July, 2018 to October, 2019.

Respondent's selection and questionnaires preparation
A total of 9 structured questionnaire survey forms were developed through rigorous process of drafting, editing, fine-tuning, expert-sharing, field testing and final field validation. Among them, 5 survey forms were prepared for haor-based interventions, viz., for i) fisherman, ii) aratdar, iii) paiker, iv) retailer and v) ice factory owner. In case of DFPFs on the other hand, four survey forms were prepared, for e.g., i) project directors (shareholder/lease owner) ii) fishers' family iii) fish handlers and iv) fish traders. Secondary data were collected from Upazila Fisheries Office, District Fisheries Office, books, journals, reports and NGOs.

Identification of IHs and PHs groups
A sensory based Fish Freshness Assessment Tool (Nowsad et al. 2015) was used, where the fishes at different stages of distribution under a distinct stakeholder if found with defect points > 3.2 was taken as PHs and the same when found <3.2 was taken as IHs.
The system was originally developed Howgate et al. (1992) by the Torry Research Station, UK, and updated by several scientists (Connell, 1990;Sakaguchi, 1994). Sensory indicators have been calibrated according to the physical environments of local fish species (Nowsad, 2004). The IHs and PHs were selected by analyzing the qualities of fishes belong to the stakeholders from harvest to retail distribution. The loss evaluation study specified that fish moderately lose quality throughout handling by the fishermen, aratdar, project directors (shareholder/lease owner), fishers' family and fish handlers. On the other hand, the quality of fish was reduced more frequently in paiker, retailer and fish traders. Maximum quality losses were introduced at the aratder (haor) and fish traders (floodplain).

Technique of data collection
A total of 270 respondents were surveyed, of which 150 were from Kishoreganj haor (60 IHs and 90 PHs) and 120 from DFPF (70 IHs and 50 PHs). The study was based on collection of primary and secondary data. Primary data were collected by questionnaire interview with stakeholders, FGD with intermediaries and cross-check interview with key informants (KII).

Data analysis
All the collected information was accumulated and analyzed by Microsoft Excel 2016 and then presented in textual, tabular and graphical forms. Paired samples ttest was done to know the significant differences (p<0.05) between IHs and PHs by using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS/PC; Version 20.0; SPSS Inc., Chicago).

Demographic characteristics
The demographic characteristics of fishery stakeholders which include age structure, family size, level of education and occupation are presented in Table 1. Most of the stakeholders were young aged (11-30 years) both in IHs and PHs groups from haor and floodplain areas, as also similar results were recorded by Trina et al. (2015). Medium sized family was dominant in all types of stakeholder groups where large size was recessive. This finding was more or less in agreement with BBS (2019) and Faroque (2006). The literacy rate was higher in PHs than IHs both in haor and floodplain. Some of the reasons for this condition in PHs were found to be lack of awareness about the importance of education, poverty, child labour, illiterate guardians etc. Stakeholders involved in fishing/fish trading were higher in Kishoreganj haor than DFPF for both IHs and PHs groups (Table 1). Bhaumik et al. (2005) found that the primary occupation of all the respondents were fishing in the fishermen of twin pronged floodplain wetlands in West Bengal which mostly agrees with the present study.

Sources of drinking water
The facility of safe drinking water is considered to be the most valued elements in the society. Drinking water facilities were maintaining better health condition. All of the stakeholders from Kishoreganj used tube well water where 96% of IHs in DFPF used tube well. About 4% used municipal supply water in DFPF where no one of such in Kishoreganj haor (Fig. 1). Present result in agreement with the findings of Kabir et al. (2012). According to BBS (2019) about 98% people from seven geographic divisions of Bangladesh used to drink tube-well water which was very much supportive to this study.

Electricity facilities
Electricity is one of the factors that supports the development and growth of the country and describe the empowerment status of the stakeholders. In Kishoreganj haor areas, most of the stakeholders had the electricity facilities. About 11.1% PHs had solar electricity facilities in haor whereas none in DFPF (Fig. 2). Ali et al. (2010) found that about 95% of the farmers in some selected areas of Tarakanda upazila of Mymensingh district had electricity facilities which relatively support the present study.

Toilet facilities
There were three types of sanitation facilities available in haor basins and Daudkandi floodplain, viz., open toilet, closed toilet and sanitary toilet. In haor areas, about 93.33% IHs used sanitary toilet, while it was 71.11% for PHs. Using of open toilet was higher in Kishoreganj haor than DFPF (Fig. 3). Poor handler groups in haor were more vulnerable to live without proper sanitary facilities because their awareness and educational level were comparatively lower than IHs. IHs toilet facilities were more improved than the fishermen of the Old Brahmaputra River studied by Kabir et al. (2012).

Kitchen facilities
The kitchen facilities were classified into three groups such as open, only fence no roof, fence with roof. Only 4.44% PHs had no kitchen in haor where it was 30% in DFPF. Improved handlers had better kitchen facilities than PHs in both haor and floodplain (Fig. 3). Kitchen facilities were higher than the fisherman of Tulsiganga River in Joypurhat, stated by Paul et al. (2018).

Housing condition
The social status of the people is indicated by nature of house. During the study, attempts were made to find out the condition of living house of the stakeholders. Semipakka and pakka houses were found to be higher in Kishoreganj haor than in DFPF in both IHs and PHs (Fig.  4). Khatun et al. (2013) found that most of the houses of pond fish farmers (78%) in Charbata of Noakhali were made of corrugated iron sheet which supports present study.

Land holding
Total land area was classified into 4 groups such as no land, 1 -5 decimal, 6 -50 decimal and above to 50 decimal according to land having by stakeholder group's. In haor areas, 33.33% improved handlers had above 50 decimal land where it was 25.56% for PHs (Fig. 5). The IHs had higher amount of land than PHs in DFPF also. Islam et al. (2017) reported a higher number of fishermen in Padma River at Chapai Nawabganj district had more than 50 decimal land which is more or less similar to the present findings.

Holding of homestead land
Homestead area was classified into 5 groups such as no land, 1-3 decimal, 4-8 decimal, 9-12 decimal and above to 12 decimal according to land having by stakeholder groups. Stakeholders in IHs in Kishoreganj haor had higher number of above 12 decimal lands than DFPF (Fig.  6). Mazumder (2014) found that about 84% of the fishermen in Singra Upazila of Natore had homestead land size more or less similar to the present study.

Quality of life
The quality of life was better in IHs groups than PHs. None of the stakeholders in DFPF were very poor where 5% in IHs and 2.2% in PHs were very poor in Kishoreganj haor (Fig. 7). The present findings were higher than the results of Pollnac et al. (2001), and Pollnac and Poggie (2008).
Place of treatment of illness Stakeholders, either improved or poor handler, from Daudkandi floodplain fisheries went to government hospitals as well as private hospitals more than the stakeholders from Kishoreganj haor (Fig. 8). Ali et al. (2010) found that 45% fisherman in Tarakanda Upazila in Mymensingh took treatment from public hospital which were more or less similar to this study. According to Rishan and Fagun (2019) 61% of people received their treatment from Habiganj Sadar hospital which is slightly higher than the present study.

Bank account
Stakeholders from DFPF had higher number of bank account than Kishoreganj haor area. Higher number of IHs had bank account than PHs in these two regions (Fig.  9). Present findings were higher than the Rishan and Fagun (2019) outcomes about the bank account of fisherman at Habiganj Sadar Upazila. The monthly income and yearly savings of stakeholders were higher in DFPF than Kishoreganj haor. Income and savings were also significantly (p<0.05) higher in IHs than PHs (Fig. 10) in Kishoreganj haor and DFPF. The IHs were found to follow proper handling practice in pre-harvest, harvest and post-harvest period. For this reason, it was observed that the quality of fish didn't deteriorate and consumers paid high price for such high-quality fish. These improved practices increased the monthly income and as also yearly savings of improved handlers in both haor and DFPF compared to PHs groups. IHs income were higher from the Fishermen of Old Brahmaputra River studied by Kabir et al. (2012).

Conclusion
The analyses of good practices in fish handling by the stakeholders from the harvest to sale found that improved fish handler stakeholders had comparatively better well-being status than the poor fish handling stakeholders based on their physical assets, response to social stimuli and financial conditions. Lack of awareness, education, proper knowledge on fish handling from landing centers to retail markets were found to be the major limitations of quality and price degradation of fish. Therefore, improved fish handling must be practiced by all the stakeholder groups to improve the well-being status. The government/DoF may launch awareness and skill development and capacity building program on improved fish handling to improve the on-going handling situation, especially in haor-based open water fisheries of the country.