The Bangladesh government is ramping up efforts to boost populations of commercially important freshwater fish species, including captive breeding of species at threat of extinction.
Fish like tengra, shing, magur and gulsha have long been familiar to households across Bangladesh, thanks to their central place in the national diet and their widespread availability in freshwater bodies throughout the country.
For most people in this country crisscrossed by rivers and defined by the world’s largest delta, fish is the most important source of animal protein and a staple food second only to rice. Small freshwater are especially popular in everyday meals because they’re comparatively cheap.
But about 20 years ago, they started becoming increasingly scarce. A 2015 report from the IUCN, the global wildlife conservation authority, listed a litany of threats to freshwater fish populations: “Habitat loss caused by massive siltation, infrastructure development, drying up of water bodies, dewatering, conversion of wetlands, overfishing and aquatic pollution are the major causes for the fish population decline in Bangladesh.”
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We introduced artificial reproductive techniques to return these fishes, and most of the species are now cultivating at the field level.
Yahiya Mahmud, director-general, Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute
That same report assessed the status of 253 freshwater fish species that occur in Bangladesh, and found that 64, or about a quarter, were threatened with extinction.
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