Calling hilsa a global fish, Fisheries and Livestock Adviser Farida Akhter has said Bangladesh ranks first among the 11 countries where hilsa is found. Hilsa is a resource of the world that Bangladesh has, she said; if it is managed properly it can be introduced to the world, so it must be promoted internationally.

She was speaking as chief guest on Saturday, 12 April, at a workshop titled "Assessing breeding success in hilsa resource management, jatka conservation and future actions", organised by the Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute (BFRI) at the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC) auditorium to mark Jatka Conservation Week 2025.

Farida Akhter said: "We do not want to go for artificial breeding of hilsa right now. Artificial breeding has not benefited our animal resources very much. We have to understand this. Hilsa is a fish that comes from nature, and it is better to keep it natural." At the same time, she said, it must be ensured that prices stay right when hilsa comes to market after June.

Stressing the environment, the adviser said that besides the effect of salinity caused by climate change, there is a link between rainfall and hilsa spawning. She called on researchers to look at what can be done about climate change.

She said hilsa production will rise if enough awareness can be created. "And if 95 per cent of fishers do not catch hilsa during the ban, we will not be able to do the rest of the work," she said. Pirates attack fishers where they go fishing, and they must be identified and caught, she added. It must also be ensured that the humanitarian assistance given reaches the fishers themselves.

BFRI Director General Dr Anuradha Bhadra presided. Md Tofazzel Hossain, secretary (routine charge) of the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, spoke as special guest. Bangladesh Fisheries Development Corporation chairman Suraiya Akhter Jahan and Department of Fisheries Director General Dr Md Abdur Rouf spoke as guests of honour. Senior officials of the ministry, university teachers, BFRI researchers and fishers were present.

BFRI senior scientific officer Dr Mohammad Ashraful Alam presented the keynote paper. Prof Dr Yamin Chowdhury and Department of Fisheries additional director general Md Zia Haider Chowdhury discussed the paper.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.