A review on blue economy in Bangladesh: prospects and challenges

Blue Economy more precisely "ocean-based economies" is now being considered as anauspicious sector in Bangladesh which refers to the proper utilizationsof oceanic resources for sustainable economic growth of a region or country. The current review paper has focused on the development of ocean economyby means of enhancing social inclusion, environmental sustainability and innovative, dynamic business models. Bangladesh is blessed with 710 km long coastlines with 200 nautical miles of resourceful Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in the Bay of Bengal, creating huge opportunities to bring out a sustainable output through the utilization and optimization of ocean-based resources. Because of being large delta in the world, Bangladesh is enriched with enormous range of marine biodiversity including fishes, shrimps, mollusks, crabs, mammals, seaweeds and creation of employment opportunities.Blue Economy has also opened a new window of opportunities including commerce and trades, tourism, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, use of deep sea port, foreign trade and so forth. But we have some challenges to the perspective of Blue Economy such as frequent floods, marine pollution including Ocean acidification and blue carbon, lack of trained personnel, harmonizing sectoral policies, plans and laws, poor ocean governance and political support etc. Some potential solutions need to be adopted by collaborating different sectors for the development of Blue Economy in Bangladesh.