Karim, a small-scale fisherman [1] from Monpura Island, died during a routine fishing trip in the Bay of Bengal (BoB), despite carrying adequate provisions, including drinking water and medicine.  His boat captain told the writer he was uncertain about the cause, speculating that toxic exposure to contaminated seawater might have played a role. Such incidents are not isolated. Fishermen routinely face health hazards linked to polluted waters [2], yet these tragedies largely go undocumented, with no formal system in place to monitor or address the cumulative health impacts on coastal communities. [3]

Karim’s story highlights one dimension (marine pollution) of a wider environmental crisis threatening the Bay of Bengal. A crisis shaped by the dangerous interaction of 3 interconnected threats: excessive bycatch, the exploitation of endangered marine species, and escalating marine pollution. This trifecta of environmental threats is not only interconnected but mutually reinforcing. Excessive bycatch destabilizes marine food webs, reducing species diversity and altering ecosystem functions. The targeted or incidental killing of endangered species, such as sharks and rays, further weakens ecosystem resilience. Marine pollution (industrial effluents, plastic debris, and discarded fishing gear) degrades water quality, impacts marine organisms, and increases the risks of toxic exposure for both aquatic life and human populations. Together, these threats compound one another, accelerating biodiversity loss, reducing fisheries productivity, and directly endangering the health, nutrition, and livelihoods of millions who depend on the BoB.

Addressing these issues requires regional collaboration, as the Bay of Bengal is a shared ecosystem bordered by Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, and other nations. Pollution discharged in one part of the Bay can spread across national maritime boundaries; migratory endangered species traverse multiple jurisdictions; and unsustainable fishing practices in one zone can undermine fisheries in others. Therefore, fragmented national interventions will not suffice. A unified, region-wide strategy is essential to mitigate these environmental threats and secure the ecological and economic future of the Bay of Bengal.

Bycatch in the Bay of Bengal and the Risk to Endangered Species

Bycatch, a major problem in the Bay of Bengal, refers to the accidental capture of species that fishermen are not aiming to catch. This is not just a local issue; it has serious implications for marine life across the entire region. For generations, coastal and tribal communities in South Asia have relied on sharks, rays, and other marine species for food. However, in recent years, demand has grown beyond these communities, with urban populations, tourists, and international markets driving large-scale commercial fishing. What was once small-scale, subsistence fishing has transformed into a significant commercial operation that supplies both legal and illegal markets for shark fins, gill plates, cartilage, and other parts, pushing endangered species into deeper peril.

Back in 2019, India was the third largest shark fishing nation in the world.[4] A recent study (2024) examining the menus of 2,649 seafood restaurants across 10 coastal states found that Goa and Tamil Nadu had the highest concentration of establishments offering shark and ray meat, accounting for 35.8% and 34.6%, respectively; Maharashtra followed with 4.6%.[5] This widespread availability reflects strong consumer demand, which continues to drive bycatch and the overexploitation of these vulnerable marine species. This demand feeds into the broader challenge of bycatch and overexploitation.

The scale of bycatch in BoB is alarming. Although countries such as Bangladesh, India, and Sri Lanka have introduced bans on catching sharks and rays, enforcement remains weak. Illegal fishing and smuggling persist, with shark parts often trafficked from Bangladesh through Myanmar to Southeast Asia to meet international demand.[6] Research also indicates that shark hunting in the Bay of Bengal continues unchecked.[7] Traders openly sell fresh and dried sharks, and smuggling of shark parts (like fins, gill plates, cartilage, and liver oil) flourishes from Chattogram (in Bangladesh) to Southeast Asia via Myanmar, indicating a thriving illegal trade.

Globally, Bangladesh ranks 20th in shark exports, with 46 shark species and 58 ray species recorded in the Bay of Bengal. Unfortunately, 36% of these species face a high risk of extinction due to overfishing. With approximately 70,000 fishing vessels operating daily, the unintentional capture of even one shark per vessel could result in 70,000 sharks removed from the ecosystem each day.[8]

Research from Sri Lanka reveals extremely high levels of ray and shark catches contribute to slow growth of shark species and lower production during the offspring season.[9] This signals increasing stress on the marine ecosystem. Because the Bay of Bengal is a shared body of water where species migrate across borders, overfishing in one area disrupts the entire region’s ecological balance.

Hence, addressing bycatch requires coordinated regional action. Countries bordering the Bay of Bengal must work together to establish shared policies, conduct joint monitoring, and adopt selective fishing techniques that reduce unintended catches. Without collective effort, the biodiversity of the Bay will continue to decline, threatening food security, coastal livelihoods, and the overall health of the marine ecosystem in South Asia.

Sustainable Solutions to Stop Bycatching and Protect Endangered Marine Species

For generations, coastal populations have depended on marine species such as sharks, rays, and various fish for both subsistence and income. However, what began as small-scale, subsistence fishing has escalated into large-scale commercial operations, driven by growing demand from urban consumers, tourists, and international markets. The introduction of industrial fishing practices (especially trawling with fine-mesh nets) has further exacerbated the situation. These methods indiscriminately harvest marine life, disrupting seabed ecosystems and making bycatch an increasingly important input for expanding sectors such as poultry feed, aquaculture, and seafood processing.

Raising awareness among fishing communities is one of the central solutions to reduce bycatching and protect endangered marine species. A comprehensive approach is needed that integrates awareness, sustainable practices, and community involvement. Conducting community-based workshops and training sessions in local languages under one regional hub can facilitate regional knowledge sharing, among community leaders. Engaging grassroots leaders can raise awareness about the ecological significance of sharks and rays and the harmful effects of their overfishing among fishing communities.

It is also important to promote alternative and sustainable livelihoods(such as fish farming, seaweed cultivation, and ecotourism) particularly for coastal communities in South Asia. These options are critical to reducing reliance on the capture of endangered species, often caught unintentionally as bycatch. Promoting alternative livelihoods, such as aquaculture, seaweed farming, or ecotourism, and introducing selective fishing techniques, like modified nets with the help of local governments, can help reduce reliance on fishing endangered species. Additionally, strictly banning shark fishing, recording bycatch, and training fishermen to release live sharks, should be adopted across the region.

Incentive programs, such as financial incentives to promote adoption of sustainable practices or access to markets that reward sustainably caught fish, can motivate fishermen to adopt conservation-friendly methods. Here, once again, it is crucial to work with grassroots leaders to spread awareness on how to adopt these practices and access these markets. Visual posters and local radio awareness campaigns can effectively disseminate information, while participatory monitoring programs can directly involve fishermen in conservation efforts, fostering a sense of ownership and community-led enforcement. it is important to implement and monitor these efforts at a region-wide level, if they are to have any successful impact.

Marine Pollution and Toxic Hotspots: A Growing Crisis in the Bay of Bengal

In 2023, a study revealed that fishermen from Kuakata in Bangladesh dump around 15 tonnes of non-biodegradable waste into the sea.[10] This waste includes plastic bags, bottles, and polythene, posing severe threats to the environment, wildlife, and human health.[11] The amount of microplastics entering the Bay of Bengal varies seasonally, with approximately 1 billion microplastics per day released during the pre-monsoon period and up to 3 billion per day during the post-monsoon period from Bangladesh and India.[12] Of these microplastics, 91% were fibers, likely originating from clothing, while the remaining 9% were plastic fragments.[13] The study also identified discarded fishing gear as a major contributor to plastic pollution in rivers, highlighting its impact on non-ocean aquatic environments. Abandoned or lost fishing gear poses an additional risk of entangling wildlife.

The Bay of Bengal’s worsening dead zone—an area of low oxygen, or hypoxic areas in the world’s oceans and lakes where marine life cannot survive—has now expanded to over 6,000 square kilometers.[14] According to Mir Mohammad Ali, Assistant Professor and Chairman of Sher-e Bangla Agricultural University from Bangladesh, the primary cause for this is eutrophication due to industrial and agricultural runoff that results in oxygen depletion creating zones inhospitable to aquatic life. Ali also points out that shipbreaking activities are now contributing significantly to this problem. Hazardous waste, heavy metals, and oil residues dumped into the sea not only poison marine ecosystems but also worsen oxygen depletion. These interconnected issues directly impact fish stocks, disrupt food chains, and threaten the livelihoods and food security of millions across the South Asian region.

Chattogram in Bangladesh, along with Alang-Sosiya and Gadani in India, have become toxic hotspots primarily due to unsafe handling of hazardous materials from shipbreaking activities.[15] The lack of proper waste management facilities means that toxic substances from dismantled ships are often dumped directly into the Bay of Bengal. Every year, around 800 ships reach the end of their use and need to be taken apart and recycled. About 70% of these ships end up on the beaches of Alang in India, Chattogram in Bangladesh, and Gadani in Pakistan.[16] The levels of heavy metals in the Alang-Sosiya region are extremely high, twenty times above the Indian national average.[17]

This contamination has severe environmental consequences, damaging local ecosystems and agricultural lands and posing long-term risks to public health. Oil residues mix with seawater, reducing light penetration, harming marine biodiversity, and permanently altering the coastal habitat’s chemical properties. Research from the Marine Institute at the University of Chittagong in Bangladesh indicates that the shipbreaking industry has led to the extinction of 21 species of fish and crustaceans and has endangered 11 additional species.[18]

Finally, there is also the issue of “ghost gear” (abandoned, lost, or discarded fishing gear) also needs urgent attention, as it often traps and kills marine animals. Fishermen should be educated (through workshops) on the importance of retrieving ghost gear and encouraged (and incentivised) not to abandon nets in the sea.

Regional Solutions for Mitigating the Threat Trifecta in the Bay of Bengal

This threat trifecta is not the responsibility of any one country and cannot be handled by any single country either, as it involves multiple stakeholders across the region with waters not stopping at the marine borders of any particular country. This section lays out some regional solutions for the threat trifecta impacting the Bay of Bengal currently.

Preventing Bycatch

To tackle bycatch and protect endangered species in the Bay of Bengal, countries like Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, and Myanmar can learn from how NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) Fisheries works in the United States. NOAA brings together governments, scientists, fishing communities, and other groups to share data, create fishing rules, and find better ways to avoid catching the wrong species. Countries around the Bay of Bengal could do something similar by working together to track bycatch numbers using tools like logbooks, observer programs, or even cameras on boats. They could also share fishing gear that helps avoid bycatch, like turtle excluder devices or special hooks that do not harm sharks and turtles.

NOAA also encourages fishermen to use everything they catch to reduce waste, and it supports projects that reward those who fish responsibly, something the Bay region could also try. By giving fishermen training, financial support, or access to better markets, they can be encouraged to fish more sustainably.[19]

Protecting Endangered Species

Community-managed Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are proving to be a powerful way to protect endangered marine species and support sustainable fishing in the Philippines. In this approach, local fishing communities, often with the support of governments or NGOs, take charge of managing their own marine areas. They create no-fishing zones, monitor fish populations, and enforce rules themselves. A good example is the Philippines. More than 1,500 MPAs are supported by community sea patrols, known as Bantay Dagat, which have helped protect coral reefs and endangered fish like the Napoleon wrasse and bumphead parrotfish.[20] Such initiatives are also likely to work in the Bay of Bengal where local fishing communities have their own networks of communications and organizing capacities.

Reducing Marine Pollution

To fight marine pollution in the Bay of Bengal, different countries are trying to do their part. For example, India launched a major beach clean-up drive on International Coastal Cleanup Day in 2022. The Indian Coast Guard, along with students, NGOs, and fishing communities, cleaned 75 beaches across the country’s long coastline. This campaign, called “Swachh Sagar-Surakshit Sagar,” shows how strong coordination between government agencies and local people can make a real difference.[21] Similarly, in Bangladesh, the Department of Marine Fisheries began working with 250 fishing trawlers in 2024 by launching an initiative to provide waste bins to stop plastic dumping into the sea. This simple step is expected to remove 20 to 25 tonnes of plastic and polythene waste every year.[22] Such solutions need to be scaled-up and coordinated at a regional level, making a dedicated mechanism to address marine ecology in the Bay of Bengal necessary. By working together under a unified framework, all stakeholders in the South Asian region can address this problem effectively with the support of their respective governments.

The Bay of Bengal, one of the world’s most productive and biodiverse marine ecosystems, is under growing threat from the combined pressures of excessive bycatch, the exploitation of endangered species, and escalating marine pollution. These three interconnected challenges are not only depleting marine life and disrupting food chains but also putting millions of coastal lives and livelihoods at risk. As this commentary has shown, isolated national efforts, though commendable, are not enough. What is needed is a coordinated, regional response that brings together governments, fishing communities, researchers, NGOs, and enforcement agencies across the Bay’s bordering nations.

The lessons from NOAA’s collaborative bycatch reduction strategies, the success of community-managed Marine Protected Areas in Philippines, and the proactive pollution control efforts in India and Bangladesh, provide powerful blueprints for the region. With strong political will, cross-border cooperation, investment in sustainable alternatives, and community empowerment, it is possible to reverse the damage and restore the Bay’s ecological health. The time to act is now; before this triple threat pushes the Bay of Bengal beyond a point of no return.