Socio-economic Condition of Coastal People Involved in Kuchia Catching in South-Western Region of Bangladesh
M. S. Khatun *
Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute, Brackish Water Station, Paikgacha, Khulna, Bangladesh.
A. Ali
Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute, Brackish Water Station, Paikgacha, Khulna, Bangladesh.
M. Ali
Department of Aquaculture, Faculty of Fisheries, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh, Bangladesh.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
The study was carried to create a better understanding about the socio-economic condition of coastal communities involved in kuchia catching. The study area was Paikgacha Upazila under Khulna district and its two large markets; Paikgacha kuchia market and Kopilmony kuchia market. From the study area, 56 kuchia catchers were selected randomly which was 12% of total fishermen community. Data were collected over twelve months from January to December, 2012 by interviewing kuchia catcher at Paikgacha. The socio-economic condition of kuchia catchers is very bad. The study showed that the highest percentage (50%) of kuchia catchers belong to the age group of 31-40 years. From the survey, it was found that 89.29% of kuchia catchers were Hindu, while only 10.71% were Muslim. The highest percentage (46.42%) of kuchia catchers were found to be educated at the level of class one to two. It was observed that the highest percentage (42.86%) of the catchers had 6-7 members in their family. Highest number of Kuchia catchers (89.29%) were found to be dependent on village doctors. The study showed that the highest percentage (42.86%) of Kuchia catchers earned Tk. 30-60/day by selling their collected kuchias.
Keywords: Socio-economic, kuchia catchers, Paikgacha, Khulna