The final report of the Enhanced Coastal Fisheries in Bangladesh Phase II (ECOFISH II) is now publicly available. Implemented by WorldFish in partnership with the Department of Fisheries and USAID, this five-year project (2019–2024) engaged over 15,000 small-scale fishing households across Bangladesh’s coast. The report documents a wide range of work, from fisheries co-management and conservation to livelihood diversification and gender-inclusive programming.
Building on earlier efforts, ECOFISH II focused on strengthening the resilience of communities affected by poverty, ecological stress, and displacement linked to the Rohingya crisis. The report outlines outcomes such as the formation of Fisheries Conservation Groups, co-management pilots at landing centers, youth engagement in marine pollution clean-up, and support for women’s savings groups and small-scale processing.
For the Dried Fish Matters network, ECOFISH II offers points of overlap, particularly in its attention to small-scale dried fish processing, women’s unpaid and informal labour, and food and nutrition security. The report highlights how alternative livelihoods such as safe dried fish production, home gardening, and seaweed-based food products were supported alongside fisheries governance reforms.
These insights resonate with DFM’s work across South and Southeast Asia, especially in documenting the layered social, cultural, and economic roles that women and marginalized groups play in sustaining fisheries-related livelihoods.
The report also contributes to a growing body of work that links everyday practices like backyard drying or seasonal fish trading to broader conversations on coastal policy, resilience, and inclusive development. This is a useful resource for DFM collaborators working on value chains, coastal governance, and the role of gender in fisheries. We encourage you to take a look and share reflections from your own contexts.
Link the full report: ECOFISH II Final Report