The indigenous fish species, particularly the small ones, are facing extinction on the basin of the Old Brahmaputra River due to rapid habitat loss, water scarcity, overfishing, unchecked use of agro chemicals and climate change, according to experts.
They said the local fish varieties that are facing extinction are mola, dhela, koi, napit koi, kajoli, baspata, chital, chanda, sarputhi, jat puthi, tit puthi, meni, bele, bain, taki, foli, boal, rani, chela, darkina, pathorchata, khalisha, lal khalisha, tara biam, bata, gutum and tengra.
The freshwater fishes in Bangladesh are comprised of 265 species and about 140 of them are the small indigenous ones, according to data of Wildfish Centre in Dhaka.
“Habitat destruction is a major reason behind the rapid loss of native fish species. Agro chemicals are destroying the breeding grounds of the fishes endangering their existence,” Prof Dr Mahmud Hasan, a teacher of Dhaka University’s Fisheries Department, told UNB.
Farmers indiscriminately use agro chemicals and pesticides to boost their crop production and prevent pest attacks. After rains, the agricultural runoff containing pesticides and other chemicals come down to the water bodies, destroying the natural habitats of fish, he said.
Prof Mahmud said the pesticides used in agricultural land fall into water bodies and destroy zooplankton.
As there is no law to regulate the use of pesticides, farmers are using those in agriculture whimsically and thus are destroying the breeding grounds of fishes, said Prof Abdul Quader, a retired teacher of the Marine Science and Fisheries Institute at Chittagong University.
