Indigenous fishes back from brink of extinctions: How success is achieved

Once, huge fishes of different indigenous species were found in the waterbodies like, rivers, ponds, lakes, canals in Bangladesh.

With the passages of time, numbers of species of the indigenous fishes were become nearly extinct. The narrowing of the waterbodies, pollution, the changes of the natural blowing of the rivers, excessive fishing and such other things were responsible for creating the risks of the annihilations of the indigenous fish species, experts said.

The Freshwater Sub-station of the Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute (BFRI) in Saidpur, Nilphamari, is trying to take endangered native fish species back into aquatic ecosystems and production and through scientific research and artificial breeding has already succeeded in producing fingerlings of 12 indigenous fish species.

BFRI is the only national-level institution in the country dedicated to research for the development of fisheries resources.

The institute was established in 1984 under the Fisheries Research Institute Ordinance. Headquartered in Mymensingh, BFRI conducts research through five centres and five sub-centres in different parts of the country based on regional aquatic biodiversity as well as the characteristics of local fisheries resources. The Freshwater Sub-station in Saidpur, Nilphamari, is one of them.

Since its establishment, the Fisheries Research Institute has developed 83 technologies for fisheries development including those for conserving endangered native fish, developing improved breeds and preserving the gene pool of native fish, improving pond-based fish farming, preventing and controlling fish diseases, hilsa management, mariculture and the development of non-traditional fisheries resources.

The Saidpur Freshwater Sub-Station was established in 2006 under BFRI’s Freshwater Centre to conduct research on fisheries and fishery products in northern Bangladesh.

The sub-station conducts research on various fish species found in the Teesta, Atrai and other rivers and their adjoining basins in the region. One of its major objectives is to preserve the gene pool of native fish that are disappearing from the rivers and wetlands of northern Bangladesh and develop technologies for their artificial breeding and fingerling production. It is also trying to develop improved farming techniques for successfully artificially bred fish and conducting research on aquatic biodiversity in the Teesta and its basin.

The crisis facing Bangladesh’s freshwater fish highlights the need for such research. According to 2015 data from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), 64 freshwater fish species in Bangladesh were listed as threatened. In subsequent years of research, BFRI has successfully developed artificial breeding and farming techniques for 40 fish species.

Of these, the Saidpur Freshwater Sub-station has achieved success in the artificial breeding and fingerling production of 12 native fish species. These include tengra, loitta tengra, gutum, bairali, khalisha, balachata, natua, angus, kursha, narkeli chela and jarua. Researchers say that if these technologies can be expanded at the field level, it will not only help conserve endangered native fish but also create new economic opportunities for farmers.

The artificial breeding and fingerling production of the jarua fish, which has been disappearing for a long time, has received particular attention in the research conducted at the Saidpur sub-station. The fish was once commonly found in the Teesta, Atrai and various water bodies in northern Bangladesh. However, its population has declined due to habitat loss, overfishing and other factors. The development of breeding and fingerling production techniques through research has created an opportunity to control its reproduction and conserve the species.

More recently, the sub-station has also succeeded in the artificial breeding and fingerling production of the endangered gotali fish. The species was once found in rivers, canals and clear water bodies in northern Bangladesh, but its availability has declined significantly. The development of artificial breeding technology has created the possibility of bringing the gotali fish back into commercial farming.

The activities of the Saidpur Freshwater Sub-Station are not limited to laboratory research. It also conducts various activities, including testing pond water for local fish farmers, diagnosing and treating fish diseases, providing advice on modern fish farming technologies and organising training programmes and workshops.

At present, the sub-station is implementing three research projects. These include preserving the gene pool of fish that are disappearing from the Teesta, Atrai and other rivers in northern Bangladesh and developing artificial breeding and fingerling production techniques for endangered fish; developing improved farming techniques for economically important fish that have been successfully bred artificially; and conducting research on aquatic biodiversity in the Teesta and its basin.

The Syedpur sub-station has also received recognition for its previous achievements in developing artificial breeding and farming technologies for native fish. In 2017, the sub-centre received a silver medal at National Fisheries Week for developing artificial breeding and farming techniques for tengra fish.

Researchers say that, alongside conserving endangered fish, disseminating artificial breeding and fingerling production technologies among farmers at the field level could increase the production of native fish. At the same time, it could help protect aquatic biodiversity, meet people’s demand for animal protein and create new employment opportunities in the fisheries sector.

Experts say climate change, changes in the natural flow of rivers, the filling and pollution of water bodies and overfishing have reduced the habitats of many native fish species. Therefore, instead of simply waiting for these fish to return naturally, initiatives involving artificial breeding, fingerling production and gene-pool conservation through scientific research have become increasingly important.

In this regard, the research conducted by the Saidpur Freshwater Sub-Station demonstrates that there is an opportunity to bring even disappearing fish species back into production through a combination of innovation, technology and expertise. Thus, the theme of this year’s National Productivity Day carries practical significance not only for the industrial and business sectors but also for fisheries research and the conservation of aquatic resources.

Speaking to Asia Post, fish farmer Hasan Ali said that fish had been farmed in his pond several times with support from the Saidpur Fisheries Research Institute. “They gave me a new type of fish and taught me all the rules and techniques for farming it. Accordingly, I provided the fish with feed and medicine. Later, I achieved fairly good results. At different times, they conduct research on different types of fish through different farmers,” he said.

Sribas Kumar Saha, scientific officer at the Saidpur Freshwater Sub-Station told Asia Post that many native fish species in northern Bangladesh are currently at risk of extinction for various reasons.

“We are working to conserve these fish as well as to develop technologies for their artificial breeding and fingerling production. We have already achieved success in breeding and producing fingerlings of several endangered fish species. If these technologies can be disseminated among farmers at the field level, it will be possible to increase the production of native fish while also conserving biodiversity,” he said.