Where to also act seriously
Saturday, 18 August 2007
THE Brahmanbaria correspondent of this paper highlighted a widely known bad situation more pointedly in a report the other day. He has included in his dispatch a long list of traditional sweet-water fishes facing the grave threat of fast extinction. The water bodies of the marshy or haor areas of his district, which were full of different local varieties of sweet-water fish like ruhi, katla, gulshey, bain, vadari, puti, tengra, magur, shing, koi, soal, gojar, pabda, aire, kholisha, puta, etc., a few years ago, have reportedly become largely barren as far as the fish resource is concerned. A fisherman of his area -- to be exact, of the Sharail Upazila, told him that he could now catch not more than five per cent of the various traditional sweet-water fishes he used to harvest a decade ago. The dwindling availability, according to the fisherman, is the ominous indication of gradual extinction of most of the local varieties of fish.
Fish experts of the district office of the Fisheries Department in Brahmanbaria, whom the correspondent consulted, cited the use of current nets in fishing, which trap fries alongside big fishes, extensive use of pesticides and fertilisers in abnormally high doses in croplands and steady silting of rivers, canals and haors, many of which dry up in the summer now, as reasons for the fast dwindling of sweet-water fishes. Explanations offered by experts, are indeed so accurate that these are not barely good for policy corrections but also good -- in fact, desirable, for inclusion in the pertinent text books at higher academic levels and for general study at the primary and secondary schools. A common awareness on these issues nation-wide is now essential to preclude the odd chance of a total breakdown in supply of animal protein in meals of the majority poor of this country.
The alarm bell from Brahmanbaria should ring throughout the country. Had there been no supply of cultured fishes, many of which are of foreign origin, local fish markets and bazaars across the country would hardly have even scanty quantity of fishes on offer for sale now. But the Bengali brain developed forever on nourishment of animal-protein from fishes. Cultured fishes, raised on feed in protected ponds and other water bodies, are naturally costlier. The poor section of Bangladeshis, who still account for the vast majority of them, may gradually become diminutive in height and thinking if fishes happen to be extinct on their plates as well. Where is this nation headed? Are not lessons on the benefits of balanced diets needed to be learnt anew?
Evidently, enormous damages have been done to traditional sources of fish supply by the mindless use of current nets in fishing and thoughtless, abusive applications of fertilisers and pesticides in unnecessarily high doses in the agricultural lands. The farmlands in this low-lying country, which collect huge waters during the rainy season, were previously the natural breeding grounds of most of the sweet-water fishes. Now their waters turn acidic or alkaline on absorption of fertiliser and pesticide residues. It just destroys the eggs, released by fishes. Many varieties of the fish cannot even survive the toxic effects of these waters, not to speak of being there for long to lay eggs and rear their fries. The government must do something seriously to discipline agriculture in the interest of protection of local varieties of fish, their proliferation and availability in plenty at reasonable prices.
Fish experts of the district office of the Fisheries Department in Brahmanbaria, whom the correspondent consulted, cited the use of current nets in fishing, which trap fries alongside big fishes, extensive use of pesticides and fertilisers in abnormally high doses in croplands and steady silting of rivers, canals and haors, many of which dry up in the summer now, as reasons for the fast dwindling of sweet-water fishes. Explanations offered by experts, are indeed so accurate that these are not barely good for policy corrections but also good -- in fact, desirable, for inclusion in the pertinent text books at higher academic levels and for general study at the primary and secondary schools. A common awareness on these issues nation-wide is now essential to preclude the odd chance of a total breakdown in supply of animal protein in meals of the majority poor of this country.
The alarm bell from Brahmanbaria should ring throughout the country. Had there been no supply of cultured fishes, many of which are of foreign origin, local fish markets and bazaars across the country would hardly have even scanty quantity of fishes on offer for sale now. But the Bengali brain developed forever on nourishment of animal-protein from fishes. Cultured fishes, raised on feed in protected ponds and other water bodies, are naturally costlier. The poor section of Bangladeshis, who still account for the vast majority of them, may gradually become diminutive in height and thinking if fishes happen to be extinct on their plates as well. Where is this nation headed? Are not lessons on the benefits of balanced diets needed to be learnt anew?
Evidently, enormous damages have been done to traditional sources of fish supply by the mindless use of current nets in fishing and thoughtless, abusive applications of fertilisers and pesticides in unnecessarily high doses in the agricultural lands. The farmlands in this low-lying country, which collect huge waters during the rainy season, were previously the natural breeding grounds of most of the sweet-water fishes. Now their waters turn acidic or alkaline on absorption of fertiliser and pesticide residues. It just destroys the eggs, released by fishes. Many varieties of the fish cannot even survive the toxic effects of these waters, not to speak of being there for long to lay eggs and rear their fries. The government must do something seriously to discipline agriculture in the interest of protection of local varieties of fish, their proliferation and availability in plenty at reasonable prices.