RAJSHAHI, Oct 5, 2023 (BSS) - Wide ranging expansion of fish farming
commercially has expedited its production to a greater extent in the region,
including its vast Barind tract, during the last couple of years.

In a sense, the fish farming has caused a silent revolution in the recent
past as a result of escalating the number of ponds and canals everywhere in
the region.

Makhan Hossain, a fish farmer of Seroil area, along with his father Alauddin
Hossain has been cultivating fish in 12 ponds after taking three kilograms of
spawn from a nearby seed multiplication farm every season since 2010
successfully.
 
He said carp species like rui, katla, mrigel, silver carp and grass carp are
the most popular. A carp fish generally weighing 2.5 kilogram (kg) to 5.5 kg
is sold at TK 300 to TK 600 per kg.
 
Makhan added that they are happy over the fish farming as it has enhanced his
social dignity and level of confidence.
 
The seed multiplication farm has been playing a vital role towards boosting
fish production through providing quality spawns among farmers in the region.

Saimur Rahaman, 45, has emerged as a prospective fish farming entrepreneur
since his engagement in fish rearing and farming business for the last
decade.
 
Rahman, a resident of Seroil area in Rajshahi city, had started fish farming
in only a three-bigha pond after purchasing 600 grams of spawns from the seed
multiplication farm in 2012.
 
Since then, he has, so far, extended his fish farming to 15 ponds after
availing the scopes of spawns and fingerlings of the seed multiplication
farm.
 
After getting healthy, many farmers like Makhan and Rahman have attained
success in fish production side by side with making the region self-reliant
in fish production, said Dr Jinnat Ara Rokeya Chowdhury, Scientific Officer
of the Department of Fisheries.
 
Established on 3.29 hectares of land in Kadirganj area in the heart of the
Rajshahi city in 1961-62, the state-owned farm has now become an icon of
delivering quality spawn, fry and fingerling among the farmers at nominal
rate.
 
A medium size hatchery had been launched in the 'Rajshahi Fish Seed
Multiplication Farm' in 1981-82 and it had begun its journey  as well as
artificial breeding with initial production of five kilograms of spawns in
1989.
 
But, at present, the farm has been producing 350 kilograms of spawns of 11
fish species including all major carp and supplying those to the farmers side
by side with various other activities every season.
 
It has also been supplying healthy brood fishes to the government and non-
government hatcheries infusing dynamism in the freshwater fish production
sector, added Dr Rokeya Chowdhury.
 
"We always inspire and motivate the farmers for farming fish in a scientific
method," she mentioned.
 
As a whole, the farm is intended to ensure healthy spawn and fry among the
interested farmers together with meeting up the protein and nutrition
demands.
 
Meanwhile, fish production in both closed and open water-bodies has been
enhanced by more than 1.78 lakh tonnes in all eight districts of the Rajshahi
division in the last four and a half years benefitting people of the region
in many ways.
 
Fish farming is making many people financially solvent along with boosting
their social dignity and contributing to meeting the demand for animal
protein of the region as well as other parts of the country.
 
In order to boost fish production in the country's internal water-bodies, a
stock of around 1.04 lakh metric tonnes of fish fingerlings have been
arranged in different water-bodies at a cost of around TK 15.62 crore
benefiting 6.84 lakh fish farmers.
 
The region has also attained significant success in fish spawn and fish
fingerling production which are also surplus than the existing demand.
 
In the last 2014-15 financial year, fish production was around 3.98 lakh
tonnes whereas the production stood at 5.12 lakh tonnes in 2022-23 fiscal,
said Abdul Wahed Mondal, Divisional Deputy Director of the Department of
Fisheries (DoF).
 
He said the region has also attained the success of 72,617 tonnes of surplus
fish production in comparison to the existing demands. The farmers harvested
4.76 lakh tonnes of fish from 4.03 lakh hectares of different categories of
water-bodies in the last fiscal against the demand of 4.04 lakh tonnes of
around 1.92 crore people in the division.
 
Wahed Mondal mentioned that the success has been attained due to the adoption
of multidimensional development and extension programs including promotion of
modern technologies in both farming and seed production.
 
There are around 1.60 lakh fish farmers, 1.40 lakh fishermen and 6,712
fingerling traders in the division at present.