What do fishing communities need to adapt to climate change? Fishers in Mongla set out their priorities

What do fishing communities need to adapt to climate change? Fishers in Mongla set out their priorities

Cyclone Remal left little untouched when it tore through Ulubunia in 2024. Rozina Begum’s home flooded and collapsed, while saline water swept into her aquaculture pond, carrying away the fish she depended on for income. She estimates her losses at about BDT 200,000.

Her experience was one of several shared by fishing households in Mongla, south-western Bangladesh, where climate hazards affect livelihoods on the water and assets on land. Heat, storms, flooding and salinity are making fishing and aquaculture harder to manage. The annual June-to-August fishing ban adds another source of income pressure for households with few alternatives. 

From 18–20 August 2026, WorldFish, under CGIAR Climate Action, convened a Climate Adaptation Co-Design Workshop in Ulubunia village. Participants included fishers, boat owners, traders, fisheries value chain actors, community organizations, women-led organizations, government representatives, local NGOs and law-enforcement authorities. The aim was to identify the risks people face along with their existing response strategies, and the support they consider of utmost priority.