Sylhet Correspondent :
The unabated catching of different variety fish fries with mosquito nets and current nets is going on in Surma, Kusiara, Bashia, Monu and other rivers of the Sylhet district.
As a result, local fishermen, experts and fisheries department are apprehending a gross reduction in the total fish reserve of the district.
It was alleged that after catching the fish fries, a vested quarter is sending those to other districts by packing in drums or big pots through road and river ways.
Seeking anonymity, an official of district fisheries department said, “For catching a shrimp fry and other nine to 10 varieties of fish fries are being destroyed. In the meantime, around two thousand varieties of fishes and different aquatic beings have been destroyed. As a result, detrimental effects have gripped the life of different fishes and aquatic beings in different rivers. So, the government has totally banned the catching and preservation of different shrimp fries.”
While visiting Surma and Kushiara rivers here recently, fishermen were found catching fishes with different illegal nets. In per throw of the nets, they are getting seven to eight shrimp fries but at the same time fries of other fishes are also being netted.
After sorting out the fishes, they separate the shrimp fries and preserve those in different pots but at the same time they dump other fries on the banks of rivers or water bodies which later get damaged and become meal of different stray birds and animals.
In this connection, Dean of Fisheries Science Faculty at SAU said, “The natural fish reserve of the district is at stake due to unabated netting of fries. Though the experts warned of bad effects in this connection, there is yet any authoritative step to stop the malpractice.
He further said, If the fries are produced in artificial hatcheries, the large scale netting of fries from natural sources will stop.
