The good news is that native fishes are now found in abundance in rivers, haors, canals, beels and other waterbodies across the country. Measures taken by the authorities concerned to spread indigenous species of fish all over the country have helped bring back endangered freshwater fishes.
Over the past decade, many native fishes disappeared from the country’s rivers, haors, canals, beels and other water bodies due to indiscriminate use of chemical fertilisers, unplanned use of land, shortage of ponds, siltation of rivers, canals and other water bodies, unabated catching of fish fries and adverse impacts of climate change.
Besides, indigenous fish varieties disappeared fast since water bodies, including rivers, haors, canals and wetlands were being grabbed by influential people. Agrochemicals destroyed breeding grounds of fishes, endangering their existence. As native fish species, particularly small ones, cannot take food for a lack of zooplanktons, they cannot properly grow and breed. In consequence, we had to face serious scarcity of native fish species.
Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute, Fisheries Department, the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock and agricultural universities have achieved a massive success in bringing the country’s endangered indigenous freshwater fishes through different initiatives, including conducting research. Coming out of traditional methods, the government is now adopting developed and modern ones to protect local species of fish from extinction.
Agrochemicals destroyed breeding
grounds of fishes,
endangering their
existence
Besides, Live Fish Gene Bank has been set up in Mymensingh to protect species of native fish. Bangladesh ranked second in the growth rate of producing freshwater fishes, according to a report of UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization. Although we, Bangalee people, always prefer eating freshwater fishes, most of us did not have delicious ones due to scarcity of fish and its skyrocketing prices. Our country is enriched with 265 species of freshwater fishes which have a huge demand on local and international markets.
About 140 of them are small indigenous ones. Native fishes like mohasoal, ruhi, katla, chitol, khoi, sorputi, gozer, ayir, bowal, taki, gulsey, talapia, baim ,vedory, kholsey, tengra, mola, dhela, koi, napit koi, kajoli, baspata, chital, chanda, sarputi, jat puti, tit puti, meni, bele, bain, taki, foli, boal, rani, chela, darkina, pathorchata, khailsha, lal khailsha, tara biam, bata and gutum are now abundantly available in natural water bodies in different districts of the country, particularly in downstream areas. And fish traders are supplying these delicious fishes to many places of the country, including capital city of Dhaka, other metropolitan cities and district towns after meeting local demand. Now we can eat our native delicious fishes as these species are being sold on all fish markets at reasonable prices.
Apart from government’s initiatives, we all and private organisations also have to come forward in releasing fish fries into natural open water bodies, setting up of fish sanctuaries to protect brood-fishes during their breeding period and beel nurseries for rearing small native fishes in downstream areas to boost production of native fishes in natural open water bodies of the country.
People will have to be discouraged from catching fishes aggressively and indiscriminately in rivers and water bodies. During the dry season, local people catch all varieties of fish from water bodies withdrawing water from them and catch all mother fishes indiscriminately.
Such a trend must be stopped immediately to help the government create favourable conditions for native fishes. Besides, conservation of rivers and wetlands like khal, beel, haor and baor is badly needed to protect the species of native fishes. Simultaneously, unchecked use of agrochemicals and overfishing will also have to be stopped. We all should make efforts to save our native fishes to help increase their production and meet our nutrition demand. In this regard, the government will have to revive all water bodies such as pond, canal and beel to boost fish production.
