With the arrival of monsoon water, the festival of catching native species of egg-bearing fish and young fish begins in rivers, canals and open water bodies along with Chalan beel. Due to the lack of supervision of the fisheries department and no visible action by the administration, the market is openly selling mother and such fishes with prohibited current, badai and china nets. The native fish is in crisis.
On Wednesday around 10 o'clock in the morning, in various bazaars of Tarash Upazila of Sirajganj, Chatmohar Upazila of Pabna, Gurdaspur and Singra Upazila of Natore, fish and fish with eggs are being sold openly in the markets every morning and afternoon. Fishes which are prohibited to be hunted with different materials including chain net, current net, badai net. Mother and baby fish are being hunted freely day and night.
On Wednesday in Gurdaspur upazila's Chanchkoid market, Boal fish fry were sold at Tk 200, Tengra Tk 250, Petashy Tk 300, Horn Tk 400 per kg. Besides, Tengra with eggs is selling at 600 taka, big horn fish 600 taka, desi koi 500 taka, big guchi 500 taka per kg. The belly of the big mother fish is full of eggs.
Vidyut Kurmar Das, Assistant Professor of Zoology Department of Tarash Degree College, said that when the monsoon starts, in June-July, the mother fish lays eggs in river canals, open water bodies with bill. Fishing is absolutely prohibited during this time. Which is a punishable offense under the Fisheries Act, 1950. But no one cares about the law. If the egg-bearing mother fish is killed in this way, native species of fish will one day disappear from the river bank.
In this regard, Tarash Upazila Fisheries Officer Mosgul Azad said that a week-long campaign is underway to stop the killing of mother and young fish. We will take action against those who violate the law by carrying out an operation to stop fishing in Chinese nets including banned current, badai.
Upazila Nirbahi Officer Mejbaul Karim said that the administration will conduct an operation to stop the killing of hatchlings including egg-bearing mother fish. Legal action will be taken against those responsible.