Societal Attitudes, Compensation, and Economics of Hilsha (Tenualosa Ilisha) Conservation in Bangladesh

This paper investigates the socio-economic aspects of Hilsa fish conservation in the Chandpur district of Bangladesh through three riverine villages—Baghadi, Ibrahimpur, and Sakhua. Combining data from both primary and secondary sources collected from 255 fishing households through structured interviews and questionnaires during the Hilsa fishing ban in 2022, we used a mixed-methods approach. The participants were randomly selected in proportion to the distribution of the population for representative coverage. This study uses two-stage least squares (2SLS input-space) methods to control for endogeneity and to examine WTA estimation for fishers to comply with a conservation programme. This study estimates the mean WTA compensation according to household perception, willingness to work, and conservation purposes. The average WTA is 13,372.51 per month, while the highest numbers favour Tk. at 15,000–20,000. Notable positive factors influencing WTA are head-of-household age, fishing experience, and non-fishing income, which suggests that experience and various sources of income affect the value of compensation. By contrast, the negative coefficient of secondary education and access to credit in WTA suggests socio-economic difficulties, such as being indebted and poor economic incomes of formal education in fishing communities. Clearly, the findings elsewhere suggest a high level of uncertainty on the part of the fishing community towards conservation: just 2.75% strongly agreed that conservation helps fish stocks and livelihoods, while more than 30% were neutral and 14.11% strongly disagreed. These findings reinforce the importance of capacity-raising and community engagement. This study emphasizes inclusive policies and suggests a sustainable environmental payment scheme with suitable fishing-related non-fishing activities during the banning period, as well as ensuring easy access to extension services and focusing on the diversification of income. These initiatives could make the journey towards achieving the SDGs easier.