Fisheries and Livestock Minister Md Sayedul Haq on Sunday said the government is keen on promoting research activities to boost hilsa output in the country in tandem with its growing demand.
“There’s no alternative to research for boosting hilsa production to meet the growing demand,” he said while addressing a workshop, styled “Impact of Jatka and Mother Hilsa Conservation in Hilsa Production.”The government is ready to provide necessary support to the research for increasing hilsa production, he added. The workshop was organised by Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute (BFRI) at Barc (Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council) auditorium.
In his keynote presentation, BFRI senior scientific officer M Anisur Rahman noted that their study on the hilsa population along the downstream Meghna in 2013 found a population density of 2.77 kg jatka per 100 metre per hour, while the density stood 0.72 kg back in 2007.
The recent improvement in hilsa population is a result of the conservation efforts by the government, he noted.
The workshop was chaired by BFRI director general Prof Subhash Chandra Chakrabarti. -UNB
