Sanctuaries crucial to increase fish resources: adviser

Establishing and protecting sanctuaries is crucial for increasing fish resources, as the volume of open water bodies is declining at an alarming rate, Fisheries and Livestock Adviser Farida Akhtar said yesterday.

"In the past, perhaps policymaking did not give this area enough attention, which is why the current administration is prioritising it," the adviser said while speaking at a Fisheries Week seminar at the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council in Farmgate, Dhaka.

"We must do whatever is necessary to restore and preserve our open water bodies," she said.

The adviser also stressed that protecting fish species is not only vital for Bangladesh but also essential for global fish resource conservation. "We are naturally located in a region where it is nearly impossible to survive without fish."

She said 64 fish species had become endangered in Bangladesh, but 41 had been restored through BFRI research.

Bangladesh currently has 669 fish sanctuaries covering 1,169 hectares, including six designated for hilsa, according to BFRI.

A fish sanctuary is a designated protected area established for the conservation of aquatic species, particularly fish and other aquatic biodiversity.

It is usually set up in specific parts of rivers, haors, canals, wetlands, lakes, or seas, where fishing, hunting, or other human activities are prohibited or strictly regulated.

Bangladesh introduced sanctuaries in 2003 to protect the hilsa population, alongside seasonal bans on catching jatka (immature hilsa) and brood fish, said Mohammad Ashraful Alam, a senior scientific officer at BFRI.

"Hilsa catch rose from 3.39 lakh tonnes in fiscal year 2010-11 to 5.29 lakh tonnes in fiscal year 2023-24," said Moshiur Rahman, another BFRI senior scientific officer, during his presentation.