Over the past decade, our many native delicious fishes continued disappearing from the country’s rivers, haors, canals, beels and other water bodies due to the use of chemical fertilisers, unplanned use of land, siltation of rivers, indiscriminate and unabated catching of fish fries and adverse impact of climate change.
Besides, the indigenous fish species disappeared fast since the water bodies, including rivers, haors, canals and wetlands were being grabbed by influential people. Agro chemicals destroyed the breeding grounds of the fishes endangering their existence.
As the native fish species, particularly the small ones, cannot take food for lack of zooplanktons, they cannot properly grow and breed. In consequence, we had to face serious scarcity of the native fish species.
But, the Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute (BFRI) achieved tremendous success in recovering the deltaic region’s 29 near extinct fish species in the past 14 years and preserved them in the newly established Live Gene Bank to reproduce them along with other critically endangered fresh water fish varieties, according to media reports. The scientists have developed the technique for artificial breeding and fry production of the endangered varieties of fish.
We are very pleased that we have also meritorious scientists who are conducting research whatever they can do in order to bring back the endangered indigenous fish from extinction. According to the IUCN report out of the 64, nine species were “critical endangered”, 30 were “endangered” and five were “vulnerable”.
Agro chemicals destroyed
the breeding grounds of
the fishes endangering
their existence
Until 1970s there was an abundance of fish in the natural waters of the country to well satisfy the demand. However, capture fish production (in open waters) declined more than 50 percent, with a negative trend of 1.24 percent per year.
The good news is that the native fishes are now found in abundance in all the rivers, haors, canals, beels and other water bodies across the country. As per the prime minister’s instruction, the Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute, the Fisheries Department, the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock and agriculture universities have brought a massive success in bringing the country’s endangered indigenous fresh water fishes through different initiatives including conducting research.
Coming out of the traditional methods, the government is now adopting developed and modern ones to protect local species of fishes from extinction. Besides, Live Fish Gene Bank has been set up in Mymensingh to protect the native species of fish.
Although we Bengali people always prefer eating freshwater fishes most of us did not have the delicious ones due to scarcity and skyrocketing prices. Our country is enriched with 265 species of freshwater fishes which have a huge demand at local and international markets.
The fish traders are supplying these delicious fishes to many places of the country including capital city Dhaka, other metropolitan cities and district towns after meeting the local demand. Therefore, now we can eat our native delicious fishes as these species are now being sold in the country’s all fish markets at reasonable prices.
