Increasing fish production in Kaptai Lake
Chittagong Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (CVASU) is set to launch a research vessel today to conduct study for increasing fish production in Kaptai Lake -- the biggest artificial lake in South-east Asia -- located in Rangamati district.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate country’s first research vessel via video conference today, said Prof Dr Goutam Buddha Das, vice-chancellor of CVASU.
Prof Das said, “The research vessel will conduct study on fishes, biodiversity and pollution in Kaptai Lake and researchers would have the opportunity to closely monitor aquatic environment, pollution level, topography, and stock of fishes.”
“According to studies by different organisations and institutions, during 1965-1966, over 80 percent of total fishes were carp whereas now almost 90 percent are little fish like kachki and chapila,” he said.
“The size of the lake is around 68,000 hectare but only 10,000 tonnes of fish are produced per year. The same amount of fish can be produced in a 3 hectare pond. So, it’s easy to increase fish production by tenfold,” he added.
According to CVASU sources, the research vessel has three laboratories and a total of 12 researchers would be able to conduct study at a time in the vessel with residential facility. The vessel will be operated under the faculty of fisheries of CVASU.
The faculty dean Dr M Nurul Absar Khan said, “The vessel would facilitate researchers to conduct study on the reason behind decrease in the number of carp fish in the lake,” he said, adding, “Through research, they would explore how the species can be revived.”
“Although the lake was created in a bid to produce hydroelectric power, it has also been playing a role in agriculture, communication, fisheries and tourism sectors for decades,” he said, adding that the lake was created due to construction of a dam on the river Karnaphuli in Kaptai upazila of the district in 1962.
He said, different species of fish have already disappeared from the lake over the last 20 years and many more are now endangered. Mohashol, pipla shol, bagha ayer and nandina have disappeared while around 18 species including bachua bacha, vangon bata and sarputi are endangered.
Dr Khan added that the lake was once a breeding ground of carp fish but it has become inhospitable due to pollution.
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