Cultivation of fish in floating cages at the river Padma is getting popular among Pisciculturists of Charghat upazila under Rajshahi district.
These fish cultivators are producing fish commercially in a controlled environment by setting up cages in the flowing water of the river.
A group of fish cultivators with assistance from the Fisheries Development Project, Rajshahi division and under the overall supervision of the Senior Upazila Fisheries Officer, have started to cultivate fish in cages at the river Padma near Tangon village under Yousufpur union of Chaghat upazila.
Wali Ullah Mollah, Senior Upazila Fisheries Officer informed, 10 beneficiaries under the project have been given Tk 400,000 in financial assistance to purchase nets for 10 cages, ropes, bamboo, drum, GI pipes and other necessary materials to set up the cages.
Upazila Fisheries Office sources informed, in the case of fish cultivation in cages, no large pond or water body is required. By utilising the flowing water of the river, fish cultivation is possible inside cages. The waste produced by the fish is disposed of with the flowing water that is why the water or the environment is not polluted. The flowing water continuously changes the water inside the cages, as a result, fish can be cultivated in the cages at more density than that of a pond.
Such a system of cultivating fish in cages in the floating water of the river Padma would help create new entrepreneurs and aid in employment generation, at the same time, the digging of new ponds by excavating the agricultural land in the upazila will be stopped and thus saving the land, informed Ariful Islam Makhan, Chairman of Yousufour Union Parishad.
In the floating cages in the river Padma near Purbapara of Tangon village, 10 Pisciculturists were seen cultivating Tilapia fish covering some 200 square feet of the riverine area.
They have already released 10,000 fish fries in 10 cages and each fish now weighs around 200 grams. Within the next one month, the weight of a single fish would be 300 o 400 grams. The market price of the produced fish would be about Tk 500,000, informed Kamrul Islam, President of Tangon Fisheries Committee.
Shamim, a Member of the organisation thanked the local fisheries officials for introducing them to the new and improved technique of Pisciculture and said, " Fishermen of our country are using the age-old method of cultivation of fish which require huge water, food and spaces and water body is contaminated from the fish wastage but the cultivation of fish in cages in floating water of the river is more fruitful and requires less space, less food and water is not contaminated by fish waste." Waliullah Mollah, Senior Upazila Fisheries Officer informed, " Cultivation of fish in floating cages in our country is being practiced for a long time. It is possible to increase the production of fish by cultivating fish in cages in the river Padma flowing beside the upazila round the year. The fishermen living beside the river Padma would be organised and trained in the cultivation of quality fish in cages in the flowing water of the river Padma which would not only increase the production of fish but also export the quality fish abroad to earn forex."