Speaking as special guest at a workshop, he said fisheries sector contributed 5.24 percent to gross domestic product (GDP) and six percent to export earnings.

Iqbaluddin said 1.3 million people earn their livelihood directly from fishing whereas 10 million people are directly or indirectly related to this sector for their income.

The workshop on 'Fisheries Co-management: Lessons and Directions ' was jointly organised by World Fish Centre and the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock at Brac Centre in the city.

Inaugurating the three-day workshop, Fisheries and Livestock Minister Abdullah Al-Noman said his ministry is working with the World Fish Centre to develop alternative models that seek to bring fishing communities, NGOs, and local level institutions together for improving fisheries management.

He said the community-based fisheries management approach has made significant contribution to fisheries management, habitat restoration and livelihoods of the poor fishermen in Bangladesh.

K Kuperan Viswanathan, director of Bangladesh and South Asia office of the World Fish Centre, said there are over 10,000 Jalmohals in the country which are potential water bodies for co-management in future.

Besides, the marine fisheries of Bangladesh is another potential area for this approach, he added.

The workshop has been organised to learn and share the experiences of successes and failures of the experiments of co-management around the world.

Some 120 participants from 15 countries of Asia and Africa are attending the workshop.

Chaired by Director of World Fish Centre Headquarters Mahfuzuddin Ahmed, the inaugural session of the workshop was also attended by Mohammad Nasir Uddin Ahmed, director general of the fisheries department.