BSS, Rajshahi :
Adverse impact of climate change has been posing a serious threat to indigenous fish species, particularly the small ones, as most of the water bodies are now dying in the region especially in its high Barind tract.
Fisheries scientists and specialists said breeding and grazing fields of the fish species have drastically been reduced due to the abnormal situation coupled with siltation in the big rivers and their tributaries, water-bodies, floodplains and other wetlands.
Dr Shaleha Jeshmin of Fisheries and Aquaculture Department of Rajshahi University, said the scanty rainfall and scorching heat are causing habitat degradation affecting productivity of the water-bodies and the unusual situation is a significant detrimental to the native fish species and their population.
She said, over-fishing along with injudicious and destructive fishing practice resulting in the depletion of fishery resources and is, no doubt, dangerous for successive elimination of fish stock.
All varieties of native fish are on the decline because of drastic fall in surface waters resources. The sharp fall in production of local fish resources is also widely blamed on the indiscriminate catching of the mother fish as they are being fell pray to the fishermen in confined water bodies.
Dr Jeshmin highlighted various positive aspects of the open water-bodies in conserving the native fish species and said the open water-bodies were important not only for their fish production but also for generating employment.
A sound management for rational utilization of the fisheries should be taken immediately to protect the fishery resources of the Padma River along with other water-bodies and floodplains from continuous degradation along with protecting the native fish species from their endangering situation.
Prof Dr Abdul Mannan of Department of Zoology of Rajshahi University said there are huge small rivers, canals and beels in the region which now become green paddy fields during every dry season due to massive siltation.
The huge water bodies could be effective means of large-scale fish farming side by side with protecting the endangered fish species if the water bodies could be transformed into water-reservoir after proper excavation and re-excavation.
Not only that, huge barren lands of the high Barind tract could be brought under various crop farming fields including paddy using the conserved surface water round the year, by which, Prof Mannan opined that the dependence on groundwater for the irrigation purposes could be lessened.
There is an urgent need of giving emphasis on protecting the native fish species especially the small ones side by side with expansion of the cultural fisheries, he opined.
