Bangladesh will have to wait for two-three years more to get the reliable data on fish resources in the Bay of Bengal even though high-tech ocean survey vessel has successfully continued its assessment for the last two seasons, according to experts.
Conducting the survey in the last two seasons (November-April), the research vessel found a total of 298 fish species within the country's sea area, officials said.
The survey vessel, equipped with the latest technology of fisheries and other oceanographic research, was procured from Malaysia in 2016 to assess the country's marine resources as Bangladesh got a vast sea area through the disposal of longstanding disputes with the two neighbouring countries -- India and Myanmar.
"We'll reach a decision over utilisation of marine fish after completing the survey for five years (2017-2021)," Fisheries and Livestock Minister Narayon Chandra Chanda told UNB agency.
According to initial findings of the survey, there are huge potentials of having good stock of marine fish in the Bay of Bengal, he said.
Bangladesh will get a comprehensive and reliable data over the stock of fish resources in the Bay of Bengal by 2022 through conducting the assessments by the survey vessel, the minister added.
He said the survey vessel can conduct assessments for six months (November-April) a year, while it cannot do for the rest six months due to bad weather in the sea.