A month-long deep-sea survey in Bangladesh’s waters aboard the Norwegian research vessel Dr Fridtjof Nansen recorded 65 aquatic animal species new to the country’s records, bdnews24.com reported on 6 January 2026, after the findings were presented to Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus.
The survey ran from 21 August to 21 September 2025 with 25 scientists from eight countries, 13 of them Bangladeshi. Sayedur Rahman Chowdhury of the University of Chittagong’s Institute of Marine Sciences reported abundant jellyfish in deep waters, which he linked to overfishing, and plastic waste at depths of up to 2,000 metres. Compared with a 2018 study, large fish populations had declined in deep waters. The survey also identified tuna potential and a key fish nursery beneath the Sundarbans that officials said would be protected.
About 270 to 280 large trawlers fish in deep water, roughly 70 using sonar-based targeting. Then fisheries adviser Farida Akhtar warned that “there is a risk that the Bay of Bengal will become empty” if fishing continues this way, and said the government would decide on sonar fishing. Yunus called for joint research with Japan, Indonesia and the Maldives.
Source
- bdnews24.com: “Yunus calls for research, global coordination after deep-sea survey finds 65 new aquatic species” (6 January 2026)
File photo: the research vessel Dr Fridtjof Nansen. Photo: Ulflarsen / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
This article was prepared by Maritime News BD from the report(s) and documents listed above; it was not independently reported by Maritime News BD.
