“If there is huge number of small fish in the lake, it’s not possible to increase carp fishes there,” the state minister said, at a workshop on ‘Better management and fisheries strategies for increasing fish population in Kaptai Lake’ held at the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council.

He also ordered the authorities to stop illegal fishing, for which he suggested increasing the number of security checkposts along the known routes used for fish smuggling.

He also asked them to release larvae of carp in the lake to increase production of carp fishes.

Prof Dr Mohammad Ali Azadi, Pro Vice Chancellor of International Islamic University in Chittagong, read the keynote paper at the workshop.

He said that the lake has all the potential for productive fish farming. “We can take the top position in fish production in the world if we can utilize our reserves properly,” he added.

Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) Secretary Sajjadul Hassan said that the authorities have to look into why the carp species’ population had dropped so dramatically in the lake, in the space of just 30 years.

“Action should be taken if the fish are stolen,” he also said.   

BFDC chairman Dildar Ahmed presided over the event while Fisheries and Livestock Ministry Secretary Md. Raisul Alam Mondal and additional secretary Kazi Wasi Uddin and others were present there.

However, a recent study of Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute (BFRI) revealed that the production of four commercially important carp species like Labeo rohita, Catla catla, Cirrhinus mrigala, and Labeo calbasu was 81 percent during 1965-1966. The production of carp was alarmingly reduced to 5 percent in 2015-2016.