The Bangalees live on fish and rice -was once the tagline. That was the time when fish were in abundant supply. Even the poorest could manage fish for their meals with little effort from water bodies all around. However, with the sharp increase in population, dying of rivers, their tributaries, shrinkage of water bodies and bringing of more and more lands under cultivation of various crops, paddy in particular, many of the fish species started dwindling -some of them going extinct with time.
A drastic fall in fish production had its adverse impact for a long time on the Bangalees' diet and even health before farmers were forced to go for fish cultivation. They took the initiative largely on their own but then they got some expert advice from fisheries graduates who came out from such educational institutions as the Mymensingh Agricultural University. Their appointment at the upazila level as fisheries officers was crucial to this development.
There has been a real turnaround in fish cultivation. Not only do farmers find shrimp and other fish cultivation under a controlled regime quite profitable -more profitable than rice cultivation - but also use it as a source of protein supplement. In villages rearing livestock is not always a viable proposition but shrimp cultivation along with paddy in a plot has only maximised the utilisation of land. Within six to eight months the shrimps grow into maturity so do large fish like Rui and Katla (carp).
Apart from the commercial pisciculture in large swathes of Satkhira, Bagerhat and Khulna, farmers in villages all across the country have either solely or partially taken to fish cultivation for their livelihoods. This indeed has made the turnaround in fish production possible. The United Nation's Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) has time and again lauded the success in fish production by the farmers in Bangladesh. Their success is so spectacular that the country now ranks fourth in sweet-water fish production after China, India and Myanmar.
The country produced 3.5 million tonnes of fish last year. But still this was not enough for the nation with a population size of nearly 160 million. It has a shortfall of about 0.7 million tonnes. However, there are reasons to be optimistic about a far brighter prospect of fish production in the country. About 2.5 million hectare open water bodies here are considered most suitable for sweet-water fish cultivation. Also a few millions of ponds now under cultivation of fish only add to the exercise.
Sure enough, some of the government initiatives have been of help. For example, the embargo put on catching small fries of Hilsa and other fish or the temporary no-catch order issued in order to protect mother Hilsa have gone a long way in proliferating the spawning of such fish in the breeding season. Yet the entire exercise awaits to be accomplished under a comprehensive plan. Experts are of the opinion that if all the avenues are exploited, fish production, particularly of the sweet-water varieties, can be raised significantly. There is every possibility of not only meeting the domestic need for fish but also some of this protein-rich food can be exported.
It is exactly at this point, the nation however needs to know how the aquaculture is done and what the impact of fish bred in controlled situation is likely to be. Until now, people have only known about the artificial and harmful way of fattening bulls meant usually for sacrifice on the occasion of Eid-ul-Azha. But little are people aware of the method employed for fish breeding. If a katla fish weighing only 500 grams at the time of its release in the pond grow into a 3.0-kilogram of fish within just seven months, there is indeed cause for concern.
How is the miraculous growth possible? The fish are fed what is called fish meal. Now who produce such meals and how they produce those with what ingredients should be brought under scrutiny. But fish meal alone is not used for ensuring faster growth of large species and shrimps. There are vitamins produced by renowned pharmaceuticals costing quite a sum. A litre of such vitamin mixed with fish meal costs between Tk 500-600. If fish meal alone turns a 500-gram fry into a 3.0-kilogram fish in seven months, one wonders what wonder works the vitamin will have done.
Now the question is, if such practices are permissible. Laws on this new frontier of fish breeding are unlikely to be enough to deal the subject. There should be scientific research and experiments with such methods of pisciculture. The country has long fought against introduction of genetically modified (GM) crops. Whether in their rush to produce more, the farmers are overdoing on a prescribed procedure should be looked into. Here is a grey area of food chain that calls for immediate attention.
Already a number of foods have been suspect for their carcinogenic properties. The nation cannot be exposed to yet another health threat by allowing random use of fish meal and commercially produced vitamin for faster growth of fish. A competent authority should put fish bred so faster to rigorous test and must say if they are safe for human consumption or not before they are served on the table.
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