Coastal Aquaculture in South Asia: Experiences and Lessons

A formidable challenge that is likely to threaten sustainability in the agriculture sector in the developing world has been the growing dependence on agricultural lands and the consequent over-exploitation. This over-exploitation may vary from country to country in a global context or region to region within the same country. This challenge has seen the growth in the aquaculture sector-especially coastal aquaculture in many developing countries (Goldburg 1996; Lucien-Brun 1997). South Asian countries especially Bangladesh and India are no exception (ADB/NACA 1996; FAO/NACA 1995a; 1995b; FAO 1994a; 1995). This Chapter examines the spectacular growth in coastal aquaculture in South Asian countries. Experiences in many countries suggest that aquaculture exceeds the carrying capacity of the coastal waters resulting in lower production and often complete destruction of the yield. Thus the process of coastal aquaculture seems to have stressed the fragile environment to the limit and has resulted in significant changes in the overall socioeconomic milieu. Furthermore, producers are primarily price takers. International market forces significantly determine their production trends and profitability. The aquaculture sectors in the exporting countries are required to comply with various requirements of international buyers. The buyers in many cases seem to behave like monopsonists.