Revolutionize fish cultivation

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The observance of National Fisheries Week (2009) was marked through release of fresh fries in water bodies by different luminaries including President Zillur Rahman.
It may be mentioned here that fish provides 60 per cent of the country's animal protein. To give an idea, the contribution of fish production to the country's GDP was 3.74 per cent in the fiscal year 2008-2009. About 4.04 per cent of export earnings come from the fisheries sector. Fish has the potential for earning more foreign exchange through export after fulfilling the demand of consumers in the country.
But I have to ask this question-is anything being done to protect the country's traditional species of fish? We all grew up with the story that Bangladesh was rich in marine resources in the country's innumerable water bodies-rivers, canals, ponds, tanks, haors, baors, sea (Bay of Bengal)-with hundreds of species of fish native to Bangladesh. Even the agricultural fields used to be packed with fish. However, the massive use of chemicals-as fertilisers and pesticides-has killed off many species of fish, particularly in the (flooded) agricultural lands and the rivers in which chemical waste is dumped regularly.
We have of 2.8 million hectares of floodplains which extend far beyond during the rainy season. Not all of that area is poisoned by chemicals, so if a concerted effort is made to make use of the water bodies to cultivate fish of different kinds, we will have succeeded in revolutionizing fish production. I am optimistic that the revolution has already begun.

M Sirajuddin
Kushtia