The aim of this publication is to examine the project “Enhanced Coastal Fisheries in Bangladesh” (ECOFISH-BD). This is a Payment for Ecosystem Services programme that focuses on establishing “collaborative science-based management “to improve the stock of hilsa, a popular fish species that has been in decline for a number of years. The decrease in production has been a treat for the Hilsa-dependent communities and for the livelihoods of the population in Bangladesh. The Government has taken measures, including implementing a ban on Hilsa fishing to tackle the issue of overfishing. In support of local populations heavily reliant on hilsa production, the Government of Bangladesh provided food compensation to vulnerable fishing households during the periodic fishing bans.

Thanks to the project, beneficiaries of the programme showed a number of positive outcomes in comparison to households of non-beneficiaries. The improvements include lower propensity to adopt negative coping strategies, a higher likelihood to adopt positive responses, higher rates of recovery in the face of adverse events and higher levels of well-being. However, the in-kind compensation provided to the households is considered insufficient to maintain good living standards during the bans.

The example of Bangladesh shows that the ECOFISH-BD associated to the Vulnerable Group Feeding programme (VGF) play a key role in transforming the blue food systems. However, this doesn’t provide a final and comprehensive solution to tackle a systemic challenge. Additional risks in fisheries remain and setting up a response through a larger number of social protection interventions, into a national social protection system is key to address the overall risks and challenges of the blue food systems in the country.