RAJSHAHI, February 25, 2014 (BSS)-Adverse impact of climate
change has been posing a serious threat to indigenous fish
species, particularly the small ones, as most of the water bodies
are now dying in the region especially in its high Barind tract.

Fisheries scientists and specialists said breeding and
grazing fields of the fish species have drastically been reduced
due to the abnormal situation coupled with siltation in the big
rivers and their tributaries, water-bodies, floodplains and other
wetlands.

Dr Shaleha Jeshmin of Fisheries and Aquaculture Department of
Rajshahi University, said the scanty rainfall and scorching heat
are causing habitat degradation affecting productivity of the
water-bodies and the unusual situation is a significant
detrimental to the native fish species and their population.

She said, over-fishing along with injudicious and destructive
fishing practice resulting in the depletion of fishery resources
and is, no doubt, dangerous for successive elimination of fish
stock.

All varieties of native fish are on the decline because of
drastic fall in surface waters resources. The sharp fall in
production of local fish resources is also widely blamed on the
indiscriminate catching of the mother fish as they are being fell
pray to the fishermen in confined water bodies.

Dr Jeshmin highlighted various positive aspects of the open
water-bodies in conserving the native fish species and said the
open water-bodies were important not only for their fish
production but also for generating employment.

A sound management for rational utilization of the fisheries
should be taken immediately to protect the fishery resources of
the Padma River along with other water-bodies and floodplains
from continuous degradation along with protecting the native fish
species from their endangering situation.

Prof Dr Abdul Mannan of Department of Zoology of Rajshahi
University said there are huge small rivers, canals and beels in
the region which now become green paddy fields during every dry
season due to massive siltation.

The huge water bodies could be effective means of large-
scale fish farming side by side with protecting the endangered
fish species if the water bodies could be transformed into water-
reservoir after proper excavation and re-excavation.

Not only that, huge barren lands of the high Barind tract
could be brought under various crop farming fields including
paddy using the conserved surface water round the year, by which,
Prof Mannan opined that the dependence on groundwater for the
irrigation purposes could be lessened.

There is an urgent need of giving emphasis on protecting the
native fish species especially the small ones side by side with
expansion of the cultural fisheries, he opined.