Mother fish of different species have released eggs at several places in the Halda River, the only natural fish spawning centre in South Asia. Hathazari upazila administration and local egg collectors confirmed the release of sample eggs. Preparations for this occasion began on Sunday morning, with egg collectors placing nets at different points in the river to collect the carp mother fish eggs during low tide. Also Read: Neglect endangering red-listed dolphins in Halda River Halda River is now bustling with hundreds of boats, actively engaged in the collection of fish eggs. The fishers said they found 50 to 150 grams of eggs in some places on the coast of Halda after 12 pm on Sunday. The egg collection will continue on Monday at Azim Ghat, Amtua, Ramdas Ghat, Mobarkhil, and Napiter Ghat areas in Hathazari upazila. Also Read: Special programme taken to protect biodiversity of Halda River: Minister Harun, an egg collector, expressed his excitement, saying “I have been eagerly awaiting this moment for the past month and a half. Finally, today I can collect the eggs. If the weather remains favourable, there is a possibility of a higher egg count this time.” He also said that more eggs are expected to be available on Monday. Dr. Mohammad Ali Azadi, a Halda River researcher and professor at Chittagong University, said, “As of 1:30 am, the eggs collected by the dedicated egg collectors are not full-scale or sufficient. Only time will tell if a substantial number of eggs have been collected.” Hathazari Upazila Nirbahi Officer Md. Shahidul Alam said, “The new moon phase began on Saturday. The administration is actively supervising the operations, and all government hatcheries are fully prepared." Also Read: Halda fish egg collectors brood on misfortune

Monday was not a lucky day for Shafiul Alam, a middle-aged egg collector from the Madarsa area of Chattogram. After toiling hard from dawn to dusk, he kept on staring at the Halda river till late in the evening. He was unable to reconcile with the fact that his catch in the Halda river -- the sole breeding ground for natural carp in this country -- did not match his expectations. Shafiul was not alone. Hundreds of egg collectors like him, who eke out a living by selling their catch, returned disappointed, attributing their "bad luck" to lack of rains and flash floods in the region this year. Read: Flood situation worsens in Sunamganj, Sylhet; thousands marooned "Monday turned out to be a big disappointment for us. Full moon, high tide nothing helped, as our egg collection was not what we had expected," another fisherman told UNB in a choked voice. The Halda river is the only natural fish breeding ground in Bangladesh, where the carp species release eggs from April to June almost every year for time immemorial.

Mother fish of different species have released 'sample eggs' at several places in the Halda River, the only natural fish spawning centre in South Asia. The fishers said they found 50 to 200 grams of eggs in some places, including Machuaghona and Nayahat, in the coast of Halda after 12 pm on Saturday. Also read:Halda River under CCTV surveillance Hathazari upazila administration and local egg collectors confirmed the release of sample eggs. The indigenous fish species including Ruhi, Mrigel, Katol and Kalbaush started releasing eggs after heavy rain with thunderbolts due to cyclone ‘Asani’ for the last few days. Egg collectors and persons concerned were waiting in the river as the full breeding season started from the beginning of May. They are hoping that if there is heavy rain with thunderstorms on the current full moon day, mother fish can start releasing eggs in full swing in the river during high tide or low tide.

The government has approved the "Dolphin Conservation Action Plan” to protect the habitat of dolphins, said Environment, Forests and Climate Change Minister Md Shahab Uddin. The plan was approved at a meeting of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change chaired by the minister on Tuesday. In addition to the "Dolphin Conservation Action Plan", "Fund Management Guidelines", "Dolphin Atlas in Bangladesh" and "Management Plan for the Ganges River Dolphin in Halda River" have also been approved subject to some amendments. Also read: Govt 'working hard' to save dolphins Speaking on the occasion, the environment minister said that the "Dolphin Conservation Action Plan" would play an effective role in reducing the decline in the number of dolphins in rivers and coastal areas and in protecting the habitat of dolphins. "Dolphin Atlas in Bangladesh" will help people to know the whereabouts of Gangetic and Irrawaddy dolphins in the winter. The Minister said that in addition to protecting dolphins and their habitats, the "Management Plan for the Ganges River Dolphins in Halda River" would also serve as a guide for the authorities in dolphin conservation. The "Fund Management Guidelines" have been formulated so that the Dolphin Conservation Team can make proper use of the funds provided by the government and carry out dolphin conservation activities for a long time. Also read: Three more dolphin carcasses found off Chattogram coast Deputy Minister of Environment and Forests Begum Habibun Nahar, Secretary of the ministry Md Mostafa Kamal were among those present.

Mother fish of different species released eggs in the Halda River, the only natural fish spawning center in South Asia. The fishermen said they found eggs from Kagotia to Garduara Nayahat in the river after 12 pm on Tuesday. The egg collectors said the mother fish started to release eggs due to favourable weather.   The authorities concerned said this year the target of collecting eggs may exceed all previous records as necessary measures were taken to protect mother fish. Confirming the matter, Mohammad Ruhul Amin, Hathazari Upazila Nirbahi Officer, said, “The egg collectors have collected 100-150 grams of eggs in each netting and they also have seen the movement of mother fish in the river.” Read:Take up fish farming as livelihood, Prime Minister tells youths However, the authorities concerned have taken steps to ensure the safe breeding of mother fish, he said. Besides, steps have also been taken as none could catch the mother fish during the breeding period. All the hatcheries have been prepared for making fish fry from the eggs. Generally, mother fishes release their eggs during heavy rain in the Bengali month of Chaitra and Baishakh. The indigenous fish species including Ruhi, Mrigel, Kato and Kalbaush started releasing eggs after heavy rain with thunderbolts started on Tuesday. In 2018, 22,000 kgs of eggs were collected from the Halda River, while 10,000 kgs of eggs in 2019. In 2020, 25,000 eggs were collected from the river.  

Close Circuit Television Cameras(CCTVs) have been installed  at eight points of the Halda River, the lone natural breeding ground of carp-like fish in South Asia, aiming to protect its biodiversity.