Production of big fishes like ‘rui’ and ‘katal’ in Kaptai Lake fell substantially over the years for not using modern technologies of fish farming, officials said.
Only 139 kilograms of fishes are now being produced per hectare annually in the lake as compared to an average production of 4,600 kgs per hectare in the ponds, they said.
The officials said, “The lake has the quality to produce sweet water fishes and it would be possible to increase the production to 1,000 kgs if modern culture and management technologies are adopted.”
The lake generates a huge quantity of fish fries (carp) every year. But the production of carp fishes does not increase significantly compared with the production of small indigenous fishes.
Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute (BFRI) has prepared some recommendations for increasing fish production in the lake and is expected to submit the recommendations to the government today, said a high official at the BFRI.
The recommendations include production of fish through cash culture, creek culture and conservation of newly discovered breeding ground adjacent to the lake.
Kaptai Lake produced around 9,500 tonnes of fishes during the fiscal year (FY) 2016-17, which was around 9,000 tonnes in the FY 2015-16. The lake earned Tk 120 million during the FY 2016-17.
During the early 1960s, the big carp fishes such as rui and katal were 60-65 per cent of the total fish population, but now it reduced to only 4-5 per cent, said Kazi Belaluddin, scientific officer and riverine sub-station chief of BFRI in Rangamati.
He said that they set a target to produce over 10,000 tonnes of fishes during the FY 2017-18.
Bangladesh Fisheries Development Corporation (BFDC) would implement the BFRI suggestions for increasing carp fish production in the lake.
“We want to increase fish production in the lake,” chairman of BFDC Dildar Ahmed told the FE.
The country produced 4.13 million tonnes of different varieties of fishes against the target of 4.05 million tonnes during the FY 2016-17, according to the ministry of fisheries and livestock.
