Blue and green lights illuminated the early morning fog as vendors balanced wicker baskets brimming with fish and fruit atop their heads. They laid  out arrays of cucumbers and squash under the tinted bulbs and waited for the buyers to swarm.

In the distance, chickens sang and fish flew as they were thrown into tubs anticipating their slaughter. While the rest of the city slept, the Karwan Fish Market comes to life.

Delwar Hossain has been shopping at the Karwan Fish Market for the last 37 years. He owns a small fish shop in Mohammadpur located inside the city of Dhaka, Bangladesh. His market has been running for over three decades, but he has recently faced the harsh reality that he may need to close his shop. 

Hossain has been a loyal customer for years and said he has always been able to rely on fresh daily fish at an affordable price but in the last year, he has seen a drastic increase in the cost. According to Hossain, in the last year, prices for fish have increased per pound by 200 to 300 taka. This  costly strain on his business has forced him to drive up his own prices, which has created a loss in customers. 

According to a 2022 article in the Journal of Aquaculture and Fisheries, Bangladesh has ranked 3rd in the world in inland fish production, 5th in aquaculture production and 11th in marine fish production in 2018.

Their studies have shown the decline in fish populations in Bangladesh is caused by a multitude of climate disasters including flash floods, water quality deterioration, climate-induced river siltation, rainfall and change in flood regimes, and rising temperature.

These changes in climate and natural disasters cause breeding ground destruction, reduced egg collection and seed production, decreased larval development and disease outbreaks resulting in a decreasing fish population each year.

Fish are a key component in Bangladeshi meals and a declining  fish production could mean the loss of generations of cultural dishes  causing Bangladeshis to adapt and change.