This is no time for celebration but the country's enviable achievements in fisheries and livestock certainly deserve to be celebrated. The usual fanfare with which the National Fisheries Week is observed is likely to be missing this year for understandable reasons, but there is no harm in routine observance of the week. Against the backdrop of Bangladesh's elevation to the second slot ---and that too relegating China to the third position---after India in production of sweetwater fish this year, it surely would have been a fitting occasion for celebration. Even modest observance of the week can do the needed groundwork among people who matter. These people are fishermen who are primarily involved in catching fish and organisers of hatcheries who are responsible for breeding fish and even common people who catch fish from water bodies for their family consumption.
The increase in sweetwater fish production has been made possible courtesy of modern aquaculture including the introduction of caged type in water bodies such as canals, lakes and rivers. But the greatest contribution to this is from scientists who painstakingly developed methods of artificial breeding of endangered indigenous fish species. Yet the fact is that the many varieties of local fish are not abundant in supply and the poor have to be content for their protein demand with some of the high-breeding species of foreign origin now well adapted to the local conditions. Admittedly also, not all local fish species could be successfully revived. Yet the achievement made so far in this area deserves appreciation. Hopefully, further research and experiment in aquaculture will help bring back more indigenous species.
However, where the success stories get seriously undermined is the rampant destruction of natural fish habitats as well as the clandestine catching of fish by what is locally called "current net" and "china duari" ---two types of fishing nets that suck up fish including the smallest fries. Fish species cannot grow to maturity and thus local varieties are becoming endangered or extinct. This threat to indigenous species is further enhanced by the introduction of African cat fish and Latin America's piranha to the country's water bodies. These are areas where both awareness campaign and legal measures are indispensable. The occasional drives launched against fishing traps such as current nets and china duari are sure to prove futile if their sources are not eliminated. So, local production units of current nets and import of china duari have to be destroyed and plugged.
Revival of biodiversity in areas where it is possible should be considered. One shining example is that of Digholchari Hajachhara (spring) in Chittagong Hill Tracts, where putitora fish has returned from near extinction. Aggressive crop production has filled water bodies including some of the famous ones like the Chalan Beel, putting at risk the availability of the cheapest source of protein the Bangalees have traditionally depended on. This has also threatened the occupation of fishermen who have lived on catching fish for generations. For years now, fishermen have to sit idle when a ban on fishing is slapped. But unfortunately, these poor people are not adequately compensated for the loss of their employment. All this may change to a large extent if deep-sea fishing can be made a new frontier of the country's economy and livelihood.
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