Kulaura, Correspondent :
When the panic of covid-19 was peak, it was the breeding season of the Rani{queen} fish. And better weather helped rare bride fish under Hakaluki Haor to came back after almost 10 years.
According to Senior Fisheries Officer of Moulvibazar Sadar Upazila, bride fish are called bou fish or Rani fish and scientific name nomenclature is Botia dario. It is also known as Bengal loach. The Bengal Loach scientific name Botia dario was described by Hamilton in 1822.
Mohan Biswas, a fisherman in Bhuksimul village area in Kulaura Upazila of Moulvibazar under Hakaluki Haor told this correspondent, this fish was once lost from natural wetlands due to various reasons and destruction and are being caught in our nets again. We catch only one or two queen fish during a day’s in last ten years. But this time now we get huge queen fish from Haor. Moin Uddin, another fisherman in Chandpur area in Fenchuganj Upazila of Sylhet under Hakaluki Haor said, we did not go to fishing from March to June for fear of covid-19.
Muktadir Hussain, a fish trader in Chandpur bazaar in Fenchuganj Upazila in Sylhet told this correspondent, this fish demands is very high. Every kg costs Tk 2, 000-2, 500. I sale it every day only one kg. At first I collect this fish from fishermen as they caught. After putting together I sale it. I sale it only from last few days after almost ten years. Several fishermen provide one kg Rani Fish in two to three days.
Md Sultan Mahmud, Senior Fisheries Officer of Moulvibazar Sadar Upazila told this correspondent, this fish breeding season is March-June when the panic of covid-19 was peak. There have been floods and rains at the same time which is most conducive for breeding this fish.
He said, in the wild, the Bengal Loach can grow up to 6 inches. It lives on insects, larvae, crustaceans, and some plant matter. In the wild they can get up to 6 inches (15.2 cm) in length. However they only reach about 2 1/2 inches (6.5 cm) in the aquarium, with a lifespan of about 5 – 8 years. Its body is golden overall with 8 to 10 vertical black cross bands, sometimes connected in places, he added. He said, this fish don’t harm each other. They hide during the day, and then are lively and active in the evening. If they found large predatory catfish, they will hide in the substrate.
Dr. Nirmal Chandra Roy, Associate Professor of Biology & Genetics department in Sylhet agricultural University told this correspondent, thanks to the demarcation of some water bodies in the haor as fish sanctuaries, local fishermen say their recent catches have turned up increasing number of queen, evidence that the population of this species is beginning to bounce back.
This species is listed on the IUCN Red List as least concern (LC), he added.
The senior fisheries officer said, the government declared Hakaluki Haor as permanent fish sanctuaries in 2012. Its comprising 18,115 hectares is spread over six upazilas in Moulvibazar and Sylhet districts.
