BANGLADESH - The ongoing hilsa season sees a poor netting of the popular fish in the coastal waters, much to the frustration of fishermen and traders.

Fishermen's families are passing hard days as the catches are not sufficient enough even to recover the cost of deep sea trips on trawlers for the purpose.

Over 1,000 fishing trawlers from Patuakhali and Barguna districts got engaged in catching hilsa in the sea and different rivers after the end of ban period of hilsa catching but the catches are much less than expectation.

May to October is generally considered the hilsa catching season in Bangladesh.

Habib Mia, a fisherman of Char Miazan under Kalapara upazila of Patuakhali, said he is now worried about payment of Tk 50,000 that he took as loan from an aratdar (wholesaler) as he is n ... Read more »

MALAYSIA - Malaysia's export of fish and other seafood is expected to double given the steady annual growth of 15 per cent in the aquaculture industry, according to the Fisheries Department.

Its director-general Datuk Ahamad Sabki Mahmood said aquaculture, which is still relatively new in the country, currently produces around 380,000 metric tonnes of fish and other seafood, reports TheSunDaily.

"At the rate this is going, we will soon be able to reach our target of 800,000 metric tonnes annually.

"This will enable us to double our export quantity, which is around 300,000 metric tonnes today," he said at a press conference after flagging off a media convoy heading to see the department's projects throughout the c ... Read more »

IRELAND - Seawater samples submitted to Marine Institute in the past few weeks have shown the presence of a species of Phytoplankton that can harm marine animals, and some mortality have been reported among oysters, cockles and lugworms from the Mayo to Donegal coastal regions.

Analysis carried out at the Marine Institute phytoplankton lab has indicated that there is an ongoing bloom in the area of Karenia mikimotoi which is a phytoplankton of the dinoflagellate group that produces dense blooms and often results in similar mortality of marine organisms.

The bloom is most likely to originate offshore and several previous occurrences of this species have been recorded in Ireland over the years, most significantly the bloom in 2005 which extended all along the we ... Read more »

Sorting of dried fish

Fish is an extremely perishable food item and required preservation for future uses. Several preservation methods are followed over the world for preserving fish. Aim of all these methods is same- to extend the shelf-life of fish so that the fish can be used in future properly. One of these methods is "drying” which is the oldest known method of preserving perishable food items including fish. In Bangladesh, sun drying is the most widely used method of fish preservation. This method is also considered as the least expensive method ... Read more »

Presence of numerous black spot on the bright-orange body surface of the fish makes it different from other five snakehead species in Bangladesh although the external characters are same. The external characters of the fish mostly found to be similar with Channa barca but a critical difference is found while comparing the body colour of these two specimens. The body colour of Channa barca is black spots on grayish-black skin but the new specimen is completely bright orange coloured with black spots.

Therefore, gradually a question arises that, is this change of colour occurs due to the breeding periodicity of the fish? But this possibility is very less because no record of colour changes of Channa barca is found elsewhere during the breeding season. Even the present time (Nove ... Read more »

The government is planning to spend 100 crore for promoting inland fisheries and aquaculture in the country. But it will support and finance only those fishery projects which would have a complete value chain.

"We are looking at setting up pilot projects in each state. On successful completion, we can replicate the model in various parts of the country," said a senior official from the animal husbandry and fisheries department. These projects should have their own ecosystem with integrated demand and supply chain, reports EconomicTimes.

"Besides a reservoir for breeding fish, these projects should have an ice factory, transport facilities and cold storage for freezing and processing fish. These projects should also be linked to the markets," he said.

... Read more »

The World Nutrition Forum, an established event on the animal nutrition industry's calendar hosted by BIOMIN, is now at its 5^th edition and heads for the first time out of Europe, taking place from October 10^th to 13^th 2012 in Singapore.

The move to Asia signals the importance of this fast growing market, Singapore, the country where "East meets West", being the ideal location for such a truly international event.

The congress will be attended by more than 700 industry representatives and opinion leaders from all over the world, opening the floor to challenging discussions on and around "NutriEconomics^®: Balancing Global Nutrition & Productivity".

Presentations and lectures from leading experts, animal specific workshops where science meets industry and discussions about the challenges of ... Read more »

Nutrient-rich small fish species in aquaculture have the potential to improve human nutrition and health according to a study in Bangledesh and Cambodia by Shakuntala Haraksingh Thilsted, Senior Nutrition Adviser to The WorldFish Center.

Small fish are a common food and an integral part of the everyday carbohydrate rich diets of many population groups in poor countries. These populations also suffer from undernutrition, including micronutrient deficiencies – the hidden hunger.

Small fish species, as well as the little oil, vegetables and spices with which they are cooked enhance diet diversity. Small fish are a rich source of animal protein, essential fatty acids, vitamins and minerals.

Studies in rural Bangladesh and Cambodia showed that small fish made up 50–80 percent of total fish intake in the peak fish production season. Although consumed in small quantities, the frequency of small fish intake was high. As many sm ... Read more »

BANGLADESH - More than 20 species have been lost in the last decade and another 100 are on the endangered list.

Around 20 species of indigenous fish have become extinct over the last 10 years for use of current nets, insecticides and chemical fertilisers and depletion of habitats, researchers say.

Daily Star of Bangladesh reports that, if the trend continues, nearly 70 per cent of the local fish varieties may suffer the same fate in the next few years, they warn.

Around 100 out of 143 local fish species are in imminent danger of extinction, reveals a study conducted by Dr Mostafa Ali Reza Hossain, professor of fisheries biology and genetics at Bangladesh Agriculture University.

"Some will cease to exist even in the next two years unless measures for their conservation are taken immediately," observed Professor Mostafa Ali.

According ... Read more »

BANGLADESH - Inhabitants of the country's southwestern coastal region yesterday demanded that the government stop unplanned shrimp cultivation in the area to halt the illegal entrance of saline water into the region's natural water sources.

According to The Daily Star, they also urged the government not to lease out the region's water sources, especially ponds and canals.

Many people take such water bodies on lease in the name of paddy cultivation and use them for shrimp cultivation, thus violating the government condition that allows the lease out only for paddy cultivation, they said.

Some people, representing the dwellers of the different upazilas and districts in the southwestern region, made these remarks at a press conference titled 'Aggression of saline water vs the struggle for green economy' organised by Barcik, a non-government or ... Read more »