It is common knowledge that hilsa fish can survive only in rivers. But researchers at Chandpur Fisheries Research Institute have now taken steps to farm the hilsa in ponds.
They captured some hilsa fry under special arrangements and released them into ponds.
Chief Scientific Officer of the institute Dr Anisur Rahman is leading the research. Preparations to rear hilsa in ponds have been under way for the last few days.
A 1.5-inch long fry, caught using special measures from the Meghna River, was released into a pond under the supervision of the institute.
The small, sweet water river fry ran down the pond waterbed after it was released. The researcher said the initiative was taken recently based on experience gathered in the last decade.
Rahman hopes he will succeed this time.
Three ponds inside the institute have been readied for hilsa farming. A full-scale experimental rearing of hilsa in the ponds will begin this month.
The hilsa researchers at Chandpur, quoting statistics, said fishermen net 10,000 to 19,000 tonnes of ‘jatka’ (hilsa fry) a year, despite strict regulations.
After Rahman joined the Institute, he started farming hilsa in ponds with limited experience in 1988.
In the first experimental rearing, the researchers did not completely succeed, but tried to understand the conditions required for rearing. They gained significant knowledge on their growth, nature and food habit.
The researcher said the number of jatkas increased thanks to sanctuary programmes, but the movement of hilsa was hindered by decreasing river navigability decreased.
He said the polluted waters of the Buriganga and Shitalakhya rivers flowing into the northern parts of the Meghna are polluting it.
Rahman said the existence of hilsa is threatened because of environmental pollution and climate change — the reason he has taken the initiative to adjust hilsa with the pond environment.