(01) The prime target of the Third Five Year Plan (TFYP) of
Bangladesh in the fisheries sector is:
- to increase fish production from the present 0.77 million ton level
to 1 million ton for domestic consumption as well as export;
- to expand employment opportunities;
- to improve public health and the environment.
To meet this target, different fisheries development
programmes were taken up by the Government of Bangladesh (GOB), with
emphasis on research, training and extension.
(02) As one of the results, the Bangladesh Agricultural
Research Council (BARC), under its IDA-funded Second Agricultural
Research Project, formed a Technical Working Group, to plan the
development of an institution that would organize fisheries research
in the country effectively. The Group organized the First National
Seminar on Fisheries Research in Bangladesh in September 1982. A
number of recommendations were made, one of which was “setting up a
National Institute for Fisheries Research, with autonomous status”.
Its objectives would be to conduct mainly adaptive and production-oriented
research. Ultimately, by Ordinance No. XLV of 1984, the
Fisheries Research Institute (FRI) was created on July 11, 1984, with
the mandate to assist in the achievement of the above-mentioned TFYP
objectives, through implementation and co-ordination of research
programmes in the fisheries sector.
(03) The Second Agricultural Research Project identified,
among other strategies, Research, Extension and Training as the three
pillars for development of fisheries and aquaculture in Bangladesh. In
order to allow for an effective utilization of its research results,
FRI will have to take up not only research, but also elements of the
other two pillars. Therefore it has decided to develop sections for:
- training and extension;
- publication and documentation;
- public relations;
- library services.
All these FRI sections will have their own clear objectives;
organizationally they will be brought under the planned “Co-ordination
Division” in the Headquarters.
(04) In Bangladesh, training in the field of fisheries is
not new:
- The Departments of Zoology of the Universities in Dhaka (DU),
Chittagong (CU) and Rajshahi (RU), the Faculty of Fisheries of the
Bangladesh Agricultural University in Mymensingh (BAU), and the
Institute of Marine Sciences of CU provide graduate and post-graduate
courses in various aspects of the broad field of fish,
fisheries, and aquaculture;
- Short-term in-service training courses to fisheries officers (and
farmers) are mainly conducted by the Department of Fisheries (DOF)
in the Fisheries Training Institute (FTI) in Chandpur, the Fish
Hatchery and Training Centre in Raipur, the Faridpur Fisheries
Training Centre, and in 4 vocational training centres in 4 Divisions
(Chandpur in Chittagong Division, Kashipur in Khulna Division,
Kaliarchar in Dhaka Division, and Sirajganj in Rasjhahi Division);
- The Marine Fisheries Academy in Chittagong provides training for
seafaring fishermen;
- Recently, training facilities have been provided at the BOBP Shrimp
Culture Demonstration Farm at Satkhira and at the Marine Biological
Laboratory at Cox's Bazar;
- The 12 Agricultural Training Institutes (ATI's) also offer
consolidated fisheries courses, as a component of agricultural
courses for extension workers;
- Recently, BARC has conducted a 15 days workshop on aquacultural
economics and BAU regularly organizes similar seminars;
- NGO's, like BRAC, have also taken up fisheries training programmes
for extension workers and farmers, albeit mostly not on a regular
basis;
- Occasionally special training on different aspects of fisheries,
like farm management, breeding, hatchery production, or stock
assessment has been conducted by the DOF under/with the assistance
of FAO, UNDP, UNICEF, DANIDA, or other donor agencies.
(05) In spite of these considerable training programmes and
facilities in Bangladesh, there still exists shortage of trained
fisheries personnel, particularly of those with experience in
practical aspects of fisheries and aquaculture. All training effort
does not seem to have had a major impact on practice (both production
and industry), probably since the main emphasis has been put on classroom
training and theory. FRI intends to set up training programmes
that will be based mainly on practical tasks and demonstrations in the
field. The objective of this training will be to transfer and
disseminate FRI's research findings to potential users. To conduct
such a programme effectively, trainers will be trained, both home and
abroad. A draft training programme has already been presented in TA-report
No 2 in this series. Furthermore it is the intention to include
FRI's Freshwater Aquaculture Research Station (FARS) at Mymensingh in
FAO's Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asis (NACA), not only to
exchange research results, but also to get strong training assistance.
(06) As soon as the first research results of the FRI
Stations will become available (in the season 1986 – 87), it is
intended to initiate the training programme. The principal aims of
that initial programme will be to disseminate the first research
findings as soon as possible to the potential users (extension
workers, farmers, policy makers, industry), as well as to the
scientific community. For utilization and preservation of results not
only courses will be needed, but also an efficient system of
publication and documentation.
(07) The purpose of the present assignement is to plan an
efficient training programme, publication rules and documentation
systems for FRI, with the objectives as specified before. The
assignment was carried out by Dr Abu Tweb Abu Ahmed from March - May
1986, under FAO/UNDP TA-project BGD 83 – 010. His Terms of Reference
were as follows:
- Preparation of a work programme for training to be carried out by
FRI and its Stations. This training should be directed both to
extension workers and policy makers. The work programme should
include management and logistics;
- Analysis of the available manpower for fisheries research in
Bangladesh;
- Analysis of shortcomings in knowledge and/or experience (in relation
to workplans) of FRI-staff, and preparation of suggestions for
improvement;
- Development of FRI publication rules, including the course of a
manuscript within FRI, responsibilities, authors, etc.;
- Development of an FRI documentation system, including advice on
books and periodicals to be purchased, circulation of documentation,
relations between Stations libraries, budgets, etc.;
Dr Ahmed delivered his draft report to the project manager
in the first week of June 1986, whereafter it was edited into this TA-report
No 6.
(08) In the course of the preparation of the present report,
the following guidelines and principles were discussed and worked out:
- The training programmes were planned in accordance with the progress
in research in the different Stations of FRI; planning was set up
separately for practice-oriented training for extension workers, for
general orientation for policy makers, for seminars for the
scientific community, and for advanced training for trainers;
- The present institutional constraints in (e.g.) physical facilities
and manpower in the different Stations were assessed to determine
future requirements, including budgetary provisions;
- A system for publication of FRI's research findings was developed;
- Proposals for setting up of a central library and for network
systems with Stations and other libraries of the country were made;
- Arrangements were suggested for development of documentation
facilities, including the purchase of modern books, periodicals,
abstracts, current issues, and of audiovisual and copying equipment;
- Suggestions were made with respect to the organogram of the Co-ordination
Division of the FRI-Headquarters, including the founding
of a Public relations/Information Unit;
- An inventory of available technical manpower engaged in fisheries
research and training in universities, institutions and DOF was
prepared to enable effective co-ordination in research and training.
