AS we are aware, gross domestic product is an important economic indicator, providing an aggregate measure of economy's output. But, GDP at the same time, does not reflect many of the economic values that are lost when a forest is cut or burned! The recent Southeast Asian environment catastrophe indicates that GDP alone is not a complete measure of our societal well-being. While GDP includes everything bought and sold in the market, it leaves out many factors that contribute to the quality of our lives. Much of our current GDP growth masks our deepening social problem.

In the name of earning foreign exchange, many people are now associated with shrimp cultivation, which has covered a vast area of the coastal districts of Bangladesh since the 1980s. A total of 375,000 acres (150, 000 hectares) of land have been brought under saline water shrimp cultivation, out of which about 180,000 acres of land lie in Greater Khulna, covering Satkhira, Khulna and Bagherhat districts. Shrimp fanning is almost exclusively concentrated (70% of the total member of arms) in Greater Khulna district and Cox's Bazar district. Two types of shrimp farming systems predominate in the coasted belt in Bangladesh: (a) paddy cultivation alternating with shrimp cultivation in Khulna region: and (b) salt production alternating with shrimp farm culture in the Cox's Bazar region.

Shrimp culture plays a central part in the fisheries sub-sector in Bangladesh. It has created a substantial employment on shrimp farms as well as increase in activities such as trade / commerce, processing and marketing. Shrimp cultivation experienced a spectacular boost from next to nothing in the early 1970s to become a major export earning industry by the mid 1980s.

Shrimp has replaced our raw jute as the dominant export item in the primary goods category, and now shrimp export contributes nearly half of our primary, export items. Today, Bangla-desh is the 7th largest exporter of shrimp to the combined Japan & US markets. Four major exporters of the same are Thailand, Indonesia, India and Ecuador.

Bangladesh earns US 200 million on an average every year from the export of shrimp sector. But, we have hardly assessed as to where the valuable forex goes and who are the beneficiaries? The forex earned at the cost of local people's health and adverse effects on our Sunderbans is not benefiting the people. It is time for our government to come forward and assess whether present method of shrimp cultivation is sustainable. With one crop a year, most of the shrimp enclosures are illegally and forcefully constructed. In most cases, influential persons from the cities are involved in cultivating shrimps on the crop land forcibly which led to and-enclosure movements by the farmers. Productions of Paddy, Rabi crops, vegetables and other agro-products have decreased Shrimp cultivation has not only destroyed soil but also polluted the environment in and around the Sunderbans, the famous mangrove forests and an unique ecosystems in the world. Rapid conversion of dry season pasture land into shrimp fanning is contributing to the adverse effect on our coastal ecosystem. In the Chokoria Sunderbans the shrimp culture at the cost of mangrove forest not only causing loss of bio-diversity but has undermined the very basis of shrimp culture by disturbing the natural nutrient cycle.

The ultimate success of our acquaculture may he in the ability of our developers to leap-frog the mistakes of agriculture-- to resist putting chemicals in the water and hormones in the fry. The shrimp Mafia's must be pushed aside in favour of people who are willing to be more accountable to their communities. Efforts to protect our mangrove forests and local fishers must take place along side other worthy causes. We should learn from China, who now prohibits converting arable land to acquaculture ponds. India has already banned farms within 500 meters of its high-tide zone.

Bangladesh has the highest level of malnutrition in the Asia-Pacific region affecting 70-80% of our children with a very high infant mortality rate (over 1 in 10 up to one year of age).

Fish could play key role in alleviating this problem. Unfortunately, since 1980s it is questionable how equitable the distribution of the benefits of "Blue Revolution" have (based on traditional rights) and common property flood plain resources, is being replaced by restricted access to individual or group owned resources.

A move away from subsistence fishing and farming cash-based acquaculture is having a profound implication for the food and livelihood security of our poor people. There is more money to be made from export of shrimps to rich countries than food for our own people! Like the Green Revolution, the Blue Revolution is also failing to change the real problem of unequal distribution of economic control. For our poor people, who have no land to grow food or no money to buy food from the 'free' market places, no matter how much is being produced in the name of "Green" or 'Blue" revolutions they shall remain hungry.