38 MARCH 2013 • WORLD AQUACULTURE • WWW.WAS.ORG Climate Change Impacts on Human Health in Freshwater Prawn Farming Communities in Bangladesh Nesar Ahmed1 Bangladesh is considered one of the most suitable countries in the world for freshwater prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii farming because of favorable resources and suitable agro-climatic conditions (Ahmed et al. 2008). Prawn farming is currently one of the most important sectors of the national economy and, during the last three decades, its development has attracted considerable attention because of the export potential (Ahmed et al. 2010a). The freshwater prawn is a highly valued product for international markets and therefore almost all prawns are exported, particularly to Europe and the USA. Collectively freshwater prawn and marine shrimp is the second largest export commodity after ready-made garments. In the 2008-2009 fiscal year, Bangladesh exported 50,368 t of prawn and shrimp valued at US$ 403 million, of which 30 percent was freshwater prawns (DoF 2010). Since the 1980s, the coastal areas of southwest Bangladesh have been used extensively for prawn farming. The livelihoods of a large number of coastal poor are associated with prawn production in Bangladesh (Fig. 1). Approximately 1.2 million people are involved in prawn and shrimp production, processing and marketing and an additional 4.8 million household members are associated with the sector (USAID 2006). In addition, the FIGURE 1. A woman with a harvested prawn is concerned about the future of her livelihood.
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