RAJSHAHI: Narrating various nutritional aspects of native fish species, experts emphasized the need for adopting time-fitting measures to protect indigenous fish especially the small ones for increasing its production, reports BSS. They said small fishes enriched with high nutrition are capable of protecting people particularly the growing aged children from various diseases. Dr Shaleha Jeshmin of Fisheries Department of Rajshahi University said a few number of the local fish species is now found in the rivers and water bodies' expressing her apprehension that the production could decrease further in future.

She highlighted various positive aspects of the open water bodies in conserving the native fish species and said the open water bodies are important not only for fish production but also for generating employment.

In addition to nutritional aspects, Dr Jeshmin added the open water fisheries had been contributing a lot to maintain ecosystem and wetland habitats along with an aquatic biodiversity.

Due to extensive intervention, the habitat degradation is also affecting productivity and existence of fishes, she continued.

She, however, said awareness should be created among people to conserve local fish for boosting their production stressing the need for taking public-private initiative in this regard.

Jahangir Alam Khan, a development activist, said the indigenous species, particularly the small ones, are gradually being endangered everywhere in the country's northwestern region.

All varieties of native fish are also on the decline in the region because of drastic falling in terms of surface water resources like rivers, canals, ponds and water bodies.

The sharp fall in production of local fish varieties is also widely blamed the indiscriminate catching of the mother fish, he said.

Khan says unabated use of fine nets for fishing in the water bodies, shallow water bodies and filling up of the water bodies by illegal encroachers are also among the reasons behind the fall in production of the local fish.

Both experts laid stress on protecting indigenous fish to boost its production for meeting local demand and also exporting those aboard.