The Department for International Development (DFID) through the Marine Resources Assessment Group (MRAG) has approved the project proposal for the Project Memorandum on “Understanding Livelihoods Dependent on Inland Fisheries in Bangladesh and South East Asia” based on an earlier concept note on the same topic. The project characterizes the poor, identifies their dependence upon aquatic resources, describes the nature and status of those resources, and emphasizes the vulnerability of the poor to loss or mismanagement of these resources. Constraints and possible research priorities were identified through consultations with poor people, other aquatic resource users, and various organizations (secondary stakeholders). The project helped fill information gaps and identified critical research problems and how they relate to the poor. Data generated made it possible to evaluate the impacts of potential research and interventions on different categories of the poor, their access to benefits, and any livelihood related risks.