C T Online Desk: Sarwar Jahan Jewel : Fisheries and Livestock Advisor Farida Akhtar said, fish is a supplier of meat. As animal meat, fish is an integral part of Bengalis. The Fisheries Department of Bangladesh Agricultural University, BFRI and the Department of Fisheries must work in coordination towards a common goal. Only then will a qualitative change in Bangladesh’s fish resources be possible.
He made these remarks in response to questions from journalists at a regional workshop titled Annual Research Review Progress and Research Plan Formulation of the Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute in Mymensingh on Saturday (June 21) afternoon.
He added that the interim government is trying to hold a fair and just election. The election will be held on time based on the implementation of reforms and an agreement with political parties.
Referring to scientists as the nation’s valuable assets, the advisor said that the government will ensure maximum cooperation so that they can use their talents for the welfare of the country and focus more on research. Scientists will have to invent technologies that are understandable to the common man and whose benefits the people can directly understand. If these technologies can be expanded at the field level through the Department of Fisheries, then there will be no fish crisis in the country, he expressed optimism.
The advisor said that pesticides used in agricultural activities are having a serious harmful effect on fish in haor areas. To deal with this situation, special committees have been formed at the national, district and upazila levels to control pesticides. It is hoped that through effective steps taken by these committees, the use of pesticides in haor areas will be significantly reduced; as a result, the safety of aquatic animals will be ensured.
He further mentioned that the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) has classified the species into red (endangered), yellow (vulnerable) and normal (safe) categories to identify endangered and threatened fish species in Bangladesh. As part of this initiative, BFRI can play an effective role in resolving the fish crisis in collaboration with Bangladesh Agricultural University. If successful, it will be a major milestone in the conservation of the country’s fisheries resources.
BFRI Director General Dr. Anuradha Bhadra presided over the workshop, which was attended by Nripendra Nath Biswas, Director of the Department of Fisheries, Mymensingh Division, BFRI scientists, officials of the Department of Fisheries and Livestock, and fish farmers. Dr. Harun Ur Rashid, Chief Scientific Officer of the Freshwater Center, presented the details of the research plan at the workshop.
