Citation: Sultana, M.A.; Hussain, M.A.; Schneider, P.; Nahiduzzaman, M.; Barman, B.K.; Wahab, M.A.; Mozumder, M.M.H.; Kunda, M. Community-Driven Insights into Fish Assemblage, Microhabitats, and Management Strategies in the Meghna River Basin of Bangladesh. Sustainability 2023, 15, 11466. https://doi.org/10.3390/ su151411466 Academic Editor: Tim Gray Received: 23 May 2023 Revised: 6 July 2023 Accepted: 24 July 2023 Published: 24 July 2023 Copyright: © 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/). sustainability Article Community-Driven Insights into Fish Assemblage, Microhabitats, and Management Strategies in the Meghna River Basin of Bangladesh Mst. Armina Sultana 1, * , Md. Ashraf Hussain 2 , Petra Schneider 3, * , Md. Nahiduzzaman 4 , Benoy Kumar Barman 4 , Md. Abdul Wahab 4,5 , Mohammad Mojibul Hoque Mozumder 6 and Mrityunjoy Kunda 1 1 Department of Aquatic Resource Management, Sylhet Agricultural University, Sylhet 3100, Bangladesh; kunda.arm@sau.ac.bd 2 Department of Fisheries Technology and Quality Control, Sylhet Agricultural University, Sylhet 3100, Bangladesh; ashraf.ftqc@sau.ac.bd 3 Department for Water, Environment, Civil Engineering and Safety, University of Applied Sciences Magdeburg-Stendal, Breitscheidstraße 2, D-39114 Magdeburg, Germany 4 WorldFish Bangladesh, South Asia Office, Dhaka 1213, Bangladesh; m.nahiduzzaman@cgiar.org (M.N.); b.barman@cgiar.org (B.K.B.); wahabma_bau2@yahoo.com (M.A.W.) 5 Center for Blue Resources Development—CBRD, Dhaka 1229, Bangladesh 6 Fisheries and Environmental Management Group, Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science (HELSUS), Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, 0014 Helsinki, Finland; mohammad.mozumder@helsinki.fi * Correspondence: armina.arm@sau.ac.bd (M.A.S.); petra.schneider@h2.de (P.S.) Abstract: The present study aimed to delve into the local ecological knowledge of fisheries in the Meghna River Basin (MRB) of Bangladesh by exploring the insights and perspectives of local communities. A survey was administered among six fishing communities from five districts along the MRB between August 2015 and January 2016 to accumulate data for this study. The study sites were selected meticulously based on three crucial criteria: upstream river, coastal area, and fish sanctuaries, which covered three major rivers, namely the Meghna, Andharmanik, and Payra. The study employed participatory rural appraisal (PRA) tools, including 120 individual interviews using purposive sampling, 25 focus group discussions, and 36 key informant interviews. The study identified the ten most frequently caught fish species along with their temporal and spatial variation as reported by the respondents. Nine of these species fell into the least concern category, which indicate their stable population status. Meanwhile, six out of ten species cited as highly caught in the previous one to two decades belong to the threatened or near-threatened category. Findings also reveal that fishers are able to recognize important microhabitats of the study area and their significance for fish species. In addition, fishers identified the negative drivers of ecosystem degradation as well as suggested several management measures to address these challenges. The results of this study underscore the critical role of engaging with local communities and integrating their ecological knowledge into initiatives for the sustainable exploitation and conservation of aquatic resources in the MRB. Keywords: local ecological knowledge; fisheries; fishing practices; ecological impacts; sustainable exploitation 1. Introduction Bangladesh, situated within the Ganges, Brahmaputra, and Meghna (GMB) river systems, benefits from its deltaic location with abundant aquatic biodiversity and significant fisheries potential [1]. Fish is one of the most important sources of animal protein, with the average person in Bangladesh consuming more than 22 kg of fish annually [2]. Inland Sustainability 2023, 15, 11466. https://doi.org/10.3390/su151411466 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/sustainability