This document is the second report of a fishing gear improvement project in Bangladesh. It describes the rationale, the mechanics and the findings of experiments with large-mesh driftnets of thin twine conducted near Chittagong from October 1980 to February 1981.

The experiments were carried out in cooperation with the Kalidaha Fishing Projectof CARITAS, a social service agency. In a parallel activity, experimental thin-twine large-mesh driftnets were also tried out by private fishermen in commercial fishing operations along with their own traditional fishing gear.

The experiments yielded the finding that driftnets of thinner twine, which are about 40% cheaper than the traditional nets, also catch more fish than the traditional nets.

Experiments were also carried out by BOBP with driftnets of different mesh sizes in cooperation with the Kalidaha Fishing Project. Here the conclusion was that large-mesh sizes are more effective than the smaller.

The Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, Bangladesh, participated in the fishing gear improvement project as a cooperating agency. The project is an activity of the Programme for the Development of Small-Scale Fisheries in the Bay of Bengal, referred to in brief as the Bay of Bengal Programme. This is a regional FAO programme that seeks to develop and demonstrate appropriate technologies and methodologies in many areas of small-scale fisheries such as fishing craft, fishing gear, fishing methods and utilization and coastal aquaculture. The Programmes goals are to improve the conditions of small-scale fisherfolk and the supply of fish from the small-scale sector in five countries that border the Bay of Bengal — Bangladesh, India, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Thailand.