Climate, livelihood insecurity, and violent conflict over fishing access in coastal Bangladesh

Abstract

Artisanal fishing, a traditional livelihood passed down through the generations, has become increasingly insecure worldwide due to various climatic and non-climatic factors. Despite its significance, there is still limited research on how climate-related challenges interact with pre-existing livelihood vulnerabilities, and even fewer studies explore whether these combined effects heighten the risk of violent conflict for small-scale fishers. To address this gap, a qualitative approach using life history interviews was employed to explore small-scale fishers' (N = 30) perceptions on climate, livelihood insecurity, and violent conflict taking place on Hatiya Island in Southern Bangladesh. These interviews captured fishers’ perceptions of climate impacts, the debt trap, livelihood insecurity, violent conflicts, and coping strategies. The findings reveal that shifting climatic patterns - affecting fish populations and availability - exacerbate existing vulnerabilities, a trend reflected not only in Hatiya but also across Bangladesh and beyond. Our analysis highlights that the interplay of climate impacts, poverty, lack of alternative livelihoods, restricted access to credit, poor governance, and fishing bans significantly increases the livelihood vulnerability of small-scale fishers. However, small-scale fishers' primary concerns lie not in the decreasing availability of fish stocks but in the challenges posed by the restricted access to fishing grounds. Extreme livelihood insecurity drives fishers’ decisions to engage in illegal fishing and consequently face violence from enforcers of fishing ban regulations. Despite such violence, many fishers persist in pursuing their livelihoods for lack of a feasible alternative. However, this persistence comes at a cost, as it fuels deep-seated grievances towards the authorities.