Country’s largest central fish hatchery in Baluhar area in Kotchandpur upazila of Jhenaidah has been playing significant role for research and internship of the students of fisheries department of various universities and colleges alongside the regular extension activities.
The fish prawn, fingerlings and other species are meeting the demand in greater Jashore, a part of Khulna, Satkhira, Meherpur, Chuadanga, Gazipur, Barishal, Dhaka and some other parts of the country and contributing in national economy.
But the authorities have been running the hatchery when almost all the ponds and other waterbodies in Jhenaidah and surrounding districts do not have adequate water for fish farming. The situation has reduced the demand of the spawn and fingerlings this season. The institution has been facing acute manpower shortage from the inception in 1984. Only nine staffs as against 27 sanctioned positions have been running the huge activities of the central hatchery for a long heading all constraints.
According to a source related to the department of fisheries (DoF), the hatchery was established about 35 kilometers east and north from Jhenaidah district headquarters in 1984 aiming at motivating the fishermen community people, fish farmers, hatchery and nursery owners to supply the improved variety of spawn, fingerling and brood of carp fish species, especially Chinese Silvercarp, Bighead, Grascarp. Further, the nursing of brood collected from Bangladesh fisheries research institute (BFRI) in Mymensingh, Vietnamese White Pangas, BFRI Kalbaus, G-3 and Subarna Ruhit and Brood fish culture and technology transfer activities.
It could play role in own sectors and help meet up the nutrition demand of the area as well as the country. With the initiatives of the central hatchery, at least 200 carp hatcheries were established in Jashore and Jhenaidah centering the central hatchery in the past couple of years. They have been meeting up the demand in the locality and also parts of the country.
Locals said the activities of the central hatchery complex were virtually closed as the authorities did not care for expansion of the same and other academic activities. Fisheries department final year students in Khulna Agricultural University (KAU) Fatema Jannat Raina and Ashiqur Rahman Sheshir said Baluhar central hatchery was playing role in educating the fisheries department students, including their research activities and internship, as there was huge potential of the fisheries worldwide. When contacted, Dr Md Asaduzzaman Manik, ex-head of the department of aquaculture in KAU, said the central hatchery at Baluhar has been providing internship for the fisheries. Ashraful Islam, hatchery manager of central fish hatchery complex at Kotchandpur, said they have renovated the ponds and producing spawns which were almost unfit for production. In 2022-23 fiscal, the central hatchery had produced 1,792 kilograms (kg) of improved spawn, 6.55 lakh fingerlings, 2,100 kg of table fish, 1,020 kg brood fish, 6,700 kg of Chinese Silvercarp, Bighead, Grasscarp and broodfish spawns. Chinese Carp nursing is giving a good result, while Subrna Rui of BFRI in Mymensingh and G-3 variety of WorldFish Centre will be considered as most important culture in the hatchery. The hatchery had earned an amount of Tk 51.77 lakh during the fiscal.
The hatchery manager said at least 60 percent of the spawn is supplied from his hatchery for greater Jashore, Kushtia, Khulna and some other south-western districts with the hard labour of 25 unemployed young men. Several thousand people were engaged in the fish production, supply, processing and trading centering the hatchery. The hatchery was playing role to meet up the nutrition demand of the people of south-western districts as well as other parts of the country, hatchery manage Ashraful Islam said.
The sources said the fisheries department students of different universities, including Dhaka University (DU) and KAU masters level colleges, have been rushing here to conduct their internship and practical exercise every year. They have been learning the spawn collection, nursing fingerlings, rear brood fish, procurement and some other technologies in the homely environment of the hatchery in remote village of Jhenaidah. Further, the hatchery has been conducting training for the fish farming men and women, resource persons on various aspects in the hatchery so that they could produce the fish and fish species with modern technology and gain from the same towards a Smart Bangladesh as desired by the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Regarding manpower shortage in the central hatchery, the manager said the position of hatchery officer, office assistant cum computer operator, driver and cleaner were lying vacant since inception of the hatchery. Further, a watchman as against seven and a skill fisherman as against sanctioned four were vacant. Ignoring all odds, the hatchery had achieved that target to produce 1,790 kg spawn, fingerlings, table fish and brood fish for Tk 51.28 lakh during the current fiscal. Alfaz Uddin Shaikh, project director (PD) of Baor Fisheries Development project (Revenue) in Jashore region admitted the acute shortage of manpower at Baluhar central hatchery. He said the government is going to fulfill the shortage of the positions in phases to remove the barriers. He was hopeful of recruitment within a short time.
