BSS, Rajshahi :
Speakers at a discussion have underscored the need for safe fish farming besides promoting its production through the best use of hygienic fish feed alongside the existing natural resources.
They viewed that safe fish production and its marketing has become a big challenge at present and this is the high time for facing the challenge collectively to catch the foreign markets.
In addition to the administrative measures, time has come to forge social resistance against the manufacturing of adulterated and unhygienic fish meals, its marketing and use of formalin in fishes.
All quarters like fish farmers, hatchery owners, fish sellers, fish meal manufacturers and sellers and the field level fisheries officers and staff should work together to this end. There is no alternative to substantial and sustainable promotion of good aquaculture practice, they added.
Department of Fisheries organized the discussion at Paba Upazila Parishad Complex Hall room in the district to mark the National Fisheries Week-2015 yesterday. Deputy Commissioner of Rajshahi Mejbah Uddin Chowdhury addressed the discussion as chief guest with District Fisheries Officer Golam Rabbani in the chair.
Upazila Nirbahi Officer Kaisarul Islam, Senior Upazila Fisheries Officer Shahed Ali, Upazila Panel Chairman Khairunnessa, Vice Chairman Ashraful Alam Tota and fish farmers Nazrul Islam, Sohrab Hossain and Delwar Hossain also spoke.
The speakers said only the fisheries department or any other single organization isn’t capable to address the social crime as its root has gone into far depth.
Referring to the immense prospect of the fisheries sector the speakers said safe fish production could easily be increased to a great extent if the natural resources were utilized properly.
After farming fish, many people both urban and rural have become millionaire in the district. The matter of selling live fish in Rajshahi markets has created a new dimension as those are being transported to many other districts from here.
The discussants said the traders can keep their fishes live for a good number of days if they adopt some simple techniques instead of using formalin.
Providing the farmers with latest scientific technologies and knowledge needs to be expedited for producing quality fish fries and fingerlings for more fish cultivation. They called for involving more people in fish farming for the sake of meeting the protein demand as fish fulfill at least 63 percent need of the animal protein especially of the poor and marginal communities.
Later on, they distributed prizes among the successful fish farmers in the district.
