Thousands of Bangladeshi fish farmers will soon be able to buy seeds of an improved Rohu breed that grows 30% faster than conventional Rohu strains now available in the country.
WorldFish on Saturday announced that its genetically-improved Generation 3 (G3) Rohu strain, which was released to several hatcheries as hatchlings over the last two years, have now been found to be growing more than 30% faster than existing Rohu breeds.
“These hatcheries have subsequently grown these fish to adulthood and have begun producing genetically-improved seeds for sale to nurseries and farmers. Therefore, thousands of Bangladeshi farmers will purchase G3 rohu seed this year, improving their farm productivity and income,” said WorldFish, a member of CGIAR, a global research partnership for a food-secure future that harnesses the potential of fisheries and aquaculture to reduce hunger and poverty throughout the world.
According to Jessore’s District Fisheries Officer Firoz Ahmed: ‘’WorldFish-developed G3 Rohu will play a significant role in realizing the government’s goal of increased fish production in the coming years.’’
The WorldFish Rohu Genetic Improvement Program began in 2012 with the collection of spawn from the Halda, Padma, and Jamuna rivers. In 2014, a base population for genetic improvement was spawned from these fish, and first, second, and third generations, selected for rapid growth, were subsequently produced in 2016, 2018, and 2020/21, respectively.
In parallel to the release of G3 Rohu hatchlings to hatcheries in 2020, WorldFish established an on-farm performance trial involving 19 semi-commercial farms in Rajshahi (9 farms) and Khulna (10 farms) divisions. Semi-commercial farms represent the majority of fish farms in Bangladesh.
The trial’s objective was to assess the growth performance of G3 Rohu compared to the traditional Rohu strain. At harvest, between March and June 2022, G3 Rohu was ranked first in all 19 farms and, on average, G3 fish weighed 37% more than fish from the other Rohu strains.
Mohammed Yeasin, WorldFish dissemination manager in Bangladesh, said: ‘’We hope that the experience of farmers who adopted the variety early and the results of this trial will motivate many more farmers to adopt this genetically improved Rohu strain in the coming years.’’
While G3 Rohu will become increasingly available in the market from this year, WorldFish is continuing its efforts to develop the next generations of Rohu (i.e., G4, G5, and so on) with even higher growth rates. It is also in the process of producing genetically improved strains of Catla and Silver Carp.
Thanks to a five-year USAID-funded Feed the Future Bangladesh Aquaculture Activity (BAA) program run by WorldFish, Rohu improvement work has gained momentum over the last couple of years. BAA works in Bangladesh in 21 south-western districts and two districts in the southeast affected by the Rohingya situation.
BAA Deputy Chief of the Party Dr Md Shamsul Kabir told Dhaka Tribune that Rohu and some other carps had lost genetic purity over time. But thanks to their work, farmers would now get a better breed, thus coming by improved quality carp and earn more in quicker time.
USAID, CGIAR Trust Fund, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, International Fund for Agricultural Development and European Commission supported the WorldFish Carp Genetic Improvement Program.
An everyday staple
In Bangladesh, fish accounts for 60% of consumed animal protein, the majority of which is sourced from domestic aquaculture. Rohu is the most important aquaculture species in Bangladesh and a significant source of food and income for poor farmers.
WorldFish statistics show that approximately 319,000 tons of Rohu fish are produced annually in Bangladesh, representing a wholesale market value of over $950 million.
According to the Yearbook of Fisheries Statistics of Bangladesh 2018-19, with nearly 400,000 tons of annual production, Rohu contributes 10.55% of the country’s annual fish production from inland water bodies.
In Bangladesh, Rohu (250,000 tons of production) comes third after Pangas (450,000 tons), and Tilapia (320,000 tons) when counted on the basis of fish production in pond aquaculture.
In the yearly fish output that Bangladesh gets from its beels (massive wetlands), Rohu stands first with 13,152 tons (13.17% of total fish production). In this segment, Mrigal and Catla come next with 9.22% and 8.47% contributions, respectively.
The other water bodies where Rohu is produced in Bangladesh include: 50,967 tons from seasonal cultured water bodies, 43,874 tons from floodplains, and only 3,121 tons from the rivers.