BSS, Faridpur :
In greater Faridpur including Rajbari, Madaripur, Gopalganj and Shariatpur districts various kinds of indigenous fish varieties were nurtured and produced in 201 ‘fish asylums’ under Fisheries Development Project(FDP) during the last five years.
According to official sources, government set up 201 asylums in these areas at an estimated cost of Taka 4 crore 41 lakh 75 thousand. It is estimated that indigenous and endangered varieties of fishes worth Taka 5 hundred crore were nurtured and protected benefiting about 50 thousand fishermen of these areas the sources said.
Since the project started in 2009 the work on building asylums were taken up. It is officially learnt that due to asylum style cultivation program so far 2877 tons of additional fishes were produced.
It is matter of great pleasure due to this measure many endangered even extinct fish verities have returned in the water bodies. The project of increasing fish species was designed such that firstly one safe water bodies was selected for ‘fish asylum’ making it no fishing zone putting bar to catch fishes within one thousand square meters so that fish fries and their mothers get enough time to grow up.
Then that selected water body was ensured security from illegal catching after placing bamboos, branch of trees and other materials to insert a sense of safety to the fish species where the breeding of eggs also automatically processed. Generally the ‘mother fishes’ take refuge in the asylums where they release eggs in an undisturbed atmosphere.
The asylum building work was done in the dry season and when in the rainy days water bodies filled up connecting the canals, small rivers, rivulets the fish stated moving and spread in the near by all water bodies helping the fisher men to catch and sell those to the consumers.
According to a project official generally the endangered and extinct fish species including local varieties were cultivated and nurtured in the asylums.
Project Director Dr. Abdul Kader, said that due to successful implementation of the five year project about 50 thousand fishermen are benefited which also helping the inhabitants of greater Faridpur to meet protein deficiency. If the project period is extended for more two years then more benefit for all will come.
