An Aquaculture Technical Seminar on the technology and nutrition that could carry Bangladesh's fish farming success further was held in Dhaka on Friday, 18 September. Organised by the US Soybean Export Council (USSEC) at the InterContinental hotel, it drew entrepreneurs and other stakeholders from the country's fisheries sector.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Bangladesh now ranks third in the world in freshwater fish production, first in hilsa and fourth in tilapia. The seminar took up the use of modern technology in fish farming, improved feed management, fish nutrition and the potential of marine fish farming.

Kevin Roepke, USSEC's executive director for the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia (MENASA), gave the welcome address, and Farah Ahmed, the region's animal sector lead, joined online to speak on the 'Four D's of Differentiation'. In the technical session, Professor S M Rafiquzzaman of the Department of Fisheries Biology and Aquatic Environment set out how the adoption of new technology is changing fish farming in Bangladesh, and Zhou Enhua (Joe), USSEC's worldwide aquaculture technical consultant, discussed intensive pond culture using soy-based feed.

The seminar also presented the in-pond raceway system (IPRS). By creating an artificial current inside a pond, the organisers said, the system produces more fish in comparatively little space, while its waste-removal arrangement keeps water quality under control and lowers the risk of disease.

In the second session, Siang Pin Lan Shan, Asia marine aquaculture specialist, spoke on the role of US soy in building a marine fish farming industry, and Kabir Chowdhury, founder and chief executive of Maverick Innovation, outlined recent trends in freshwater fish nutrition.

An afternoon panel moderated by Lukas Manomaitis, USSEC's East Asia aquaculture lead, brought together Professor Rafiquzzaman, Kabir Chowdhury, Zhou Enhua and Siang Pin Lan Shan. Khabibur Rahman, USSEC's Bangladesh market lead, closed the seminar. The report is by Tanvir Ashiq of Channel i Online.

Source: Channel i Online