Speakers at a fingerling release ceremony yesterday stressed for boosting fish production through proper utilisation of the existing water bodies to attain self-reliance on fish and meet nutritional demand.
Panchagarh district police administration with assistance of Bangladesh Police Service Association (BPSA) arranged the post-rally ceremony near Traffic Police Office in the sub-Himalayan district town for releasing fish fries in the river Kartoa.
Superintendent of Police (SP) of Panchagarh Md Giasuddin Ahmed attended the ceremony and released 50 fish fries of carp and other varieties into the water of the river Kartoa as the chief guest.
Additional Deputy Commissioner (General) of Panchagarh Shamsul Azam, Additional SP Deen Mohammad, Panchagarh pourashava Mayor Tauhidul Islam, District Fisheries Officer Abdus Salam, District Muktijoddha Commander Mirja Abul Kalam Dulal, Sadar upazila Vice-chairman of Karun Nahar Shahin were present.
Earlier, a colourful rally, led by the SP and participated by officials and members of district police and other government departments and NGOs, public representatives, civil society members and local elite, was brought out in the district town.
The fish fries were released by the district police administration with BPSA assistance under its corporate social responsibility programme of releasing fingerling to the rivers, flood plains, submerged rice fields, ponds and ‘beels’ for boosting fish production.
The speakers said the fish fries were released alongside with massive government initiatives of distributing fingerling among fishermen and farmers to enhance fish output for improving rural livelihoods, cut poverty and meeting nutrition.
They put special emphasis on bringing all water bodies, ponds, tinny water bodies, flood plains, ‘beels’, ‘haors’ and flood plains under fish cultivation using the latest technologies ensuring best use of all existing natural resources.
They called for boosting fish production side by side with protecting natural breeding grounds, stopping catch of smaller fishes to preserve extinct and indigenous fish species and achieve self-reliance by rural people and meet their nutritional demand.