Fish species in haor face threat
A section of fishermen are randomly catching different species of fish including fry and mother fishes in the haor areas, as the ban on catching fish in the large water bodies was lifted last month after fish, livestock and birds started dying there.
Different varieties of fry as well as mother fish are also being caught with mosquito nets and current nets from the Surma, Kushiara, Bashia, Monu, Khowai and other rivers of Sylhet division.
Experienced fishermen and experts have expressed apprehension due to the situation as such callous act badly affects overall fish stock.
While visiting Hakaluki Haor area and Surma and Kushiara rivers, this correspondent found fishermen catching fry and mother fishes with different illegal nets.
"Newly spawned fish fry feed on the juice of their mothers' bodies. If the fry and mother fishes are caught in large scale, the fish stock will face threat of extinction," said Sohodeb Biswas, 65, a fisherman of Chandpur area of Hakaluki Haor in Sylhet's Fenchuganj upazila.
After the water level decreased during the last several days in Hakaluki Haor area in three upazilas of Moulvibazar and two upazilas of Sylhet, fishermen are now catching fry and mother fishes daily and selling it in local markets for high prices, said some fishermen.
One Murad Ahmed said he bought one kg of fish fry for Tk 390 near Hakaluki Haor in Kulaura Dakhinbazar area of Kulaura upazila in Moulvibazar.
"Some birds and animals eat fish fry in the rivers and other water bodies. Massive destruction of fry will also cause food crisis for such birds and animals," said Mohammad Ashraful Kabir, coordinator of 'Bhumi Sontan Bangladesh, a Sylhet-based environment and animal rights organisation.
Md Sultan Mahmud, senior fisheries officer in Kulaura upazila, said different varieties of fish release eggs at different times, especially during March to July, in the shallow portions of the rivers and haors.
Taking the opportunity, a section of fishermen net the fry and mother fishes, he said.
Mosharref Hossain, deputy director of the fisheries department in Sylhet division, said they are conducting mobile court drives with the help of the district administration in the rivers against illegal catching of mother fish and fry.
"Rampant netting of fry and mother fishes now poses threat to 54 varieties of fish in the area. The malpractice should be stopped right now to protect the native varieties of fish," said Prof Dr Md Shahab Uddin, dean of the Faculty of Fisheries at Sylhet Agricultural University.
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