Sylhet Bureau :
Fisheries and Livestock Advisor Farida Akhtar said, the contribution of scientists in this country in the fisheries sector is something to be proud of. There is no alternative to research in protecting fisheries. Therefore, the allocation for the research sector of the concerned research institutions and universities should be increased.
The advisor said these things in the opening ceremony of the three-day third International Conference for Sustainable Fisheries (ICSF) organized by the Faculty of Fisheries at the Central Auditorium of Sylhet Agricultural University (SAU) on Friday morning as the chief guest.
The conference was organized with the aim of developing sustainable fisheries management and research, exchanging innovative technologies and increasing coordination among stakeholders.
The Fisheries and Livestock Advisor said, overfishing, fishing using illegal nets such as China nets and trawl doors is very regrettable. Those who are fishing for temporary gain in this way are not real fishermen. This is harming the fish and no one is thinking about the future. The Department of Fisheries and BFRI should take joint responsibility in this regard.
The Fisheries Advisor said that due to the excessive use of pesticides in agriculture during the winter, the poison mixes with the water during the monsoon season and is harming the fish. A national committee has already been formed to limit the use of pesticides in the agricultural sector to see how to reduce the use of pesticides in agriculture and increase production and protect fish resources.
Regarding Hilsa, the Advisor said that the decrease in the amount of Hilsa harvest this year is having an adverse effect on the market. Research shows that the harvest of Hilsa has decreased due to various reasons including untimely rain, climate change, pollution and reduced navigability of rivers. However, the government is working to ensure that Hilsa reaches the common people. He urged those concerned to give more importance to increasing the production of Hilsa.
He said that freshwater fish farming is very important in increasing fish production in Bangladesh. Even if the availability of fish increases, attention should also be paid to whether it is safe. Freshwater fish farming should be increased to ensure safe and quality food. He also said that Bangladesh is unique in terms of fish diversity. Therefore, emphasis should be placed on protecting fish diversity and conserving haors and rivers, including breeding grounds. The government has taken a comprehensive plan to restore the navigability of rivers.
Regarding the development of haors, he said that the natural environment cannot be destroyed by building unplanned roads or other structures in haors. A plan should be taken to protect haors by coordinating the Haor Research Institute and the Fisheries Research Institute.
The main sponsor of the conference was Sylhet Agricultural University Vice Chancellor Professor Dr. Md. Alimul Islam. He said that agricultural universities are inventing high-yielding varieties of fish, livestock and crops through research, which is making an important contribution to meeting the country’s food shortage and ensuring food security. He further said that if adequate facilities are provided, university researchers will be able to make a greater contribution in this sector. He expressed hope that if the opportunity for large-scale production of vaccines invented in the country is created, it will not only meet the country’s needs, but also open the way for earning foreign exchange through exports abroad.
Chaired by Professor Dr. Nirmal Chandra Roy, Dean of the Faculty of Fisheries, the conference was addressed as special guests by Director General of the Department of Fisheries Dr. Md. Abdur Rouf, Director General of the Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute Dr. Anuradha Bhadra, Managing Director of Pubali Bank Mohammad Ali, Former Mayor of Sylhet City Corporation Ariful Haque Chowdhury, University Treasurer Professor Dr. ATM Mahbub-e-Elahi, and Chairman of Quality Feeds Limited M. Kaiser Rahman.
Bangladesh Maritime University Professor Dr. Md. Abdul Wahab presented the main paper as the keynote speaker of the conference.
More than 250 scientific papers will be presented in 11 sessions of this three-day international conference. Teachers from domestic and foreign universities, research institutions, and scientists and researchers from related sectors are participating in it.
