The committee, led by Dr. Mohammad Sohrab Ali, Additional Director-General of the Department of Environment, and Alamgir Kabir, Senior Assistant Director of the Fisheries Department, conducted a site visit on January 30. They collected water samples from Shatnol, Babu Bazar, Mohanpur, and Eklashpur for further laboratory analysis in Dhaka.

Declining Water Quality and Industrial Pollution Identified as Key Causes

Preliminary water tests indicate that pollution and deteriorating water quality are the main factors behind the mass fish deaths. The pH level in the river has dropped to 6–6.5 ppm, compared to the normal range of 7.5–9 ppm. Ammonia levels, which should be around 0.1 ppm, have risen to 0.2 ppm or higher. Oxygen levels, essential for aquatic life, have plummeted from the ideal 5–5.5 ppm to a dangerously low 1–1.5 ppm.

Experts suspect that chemical waste from factories in Narayanganj and Munshiganj districts is contaminating the Meghna River, disrupting its delicate ecosystem and severely affecting fish populations. The pollution has also altered the migratory path of the prized hilsa fish, a staple of Bangladesh’s seafood industry.

Fishermen Struggle as Livelihoods Collapse

For nearly a month, fishermen from villages along the Meghna River, including Shatnol, Malopara, Babu Bazar, Dashani, Mohanpur, Hashimpur, and Zahirabad, have been unable to catch fish. Native species such as chewa, puti, shrimp, pangash, kachki, boicha, and belye have been found floating dead, along with other aquatic life like frogs, leeches, and snakes.

Local fishermen report extreme financial hardship due to their inability to work. “We have taken loans from NGOs to buy boats and nets, but now we cannot even afford to pay the installments,” said Pradip Chandra, a struggling fisherman. “Our families are going hungry.”

Urgent Action Needed to Protect Bangladesh’s Fisheries Sector

Senior Fisheries Officer Vijay Kumar emphasized the need for immediate intervention to prevent further damage to fish stocks and the livelihoods of thousands of fishermen. Mizanur Rahman, Deputy Director of the Department of Environment, stressed the importance of addressing industrial pollution to restore the Meghna River’s water quality.

This incident underscores the urgent need for stricter environmental regulations, improved wastewater treatment, and sustainable fisheries management to protect Bangladesh’s aquatic resources. Without swift action, the nation’s seafood sector and coastal communities face devastating long-term consequences.

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However, disease has become a limiting concern in Bangladeshi fish output as aquaculture technologies have expanded and diversified. And disease have become one of the most challenging factor in rural aquaculture.

In Bangladesh, the most common fish diseases include epizootic ulcerative syndrome (EUS), as well as several fungal and parasite disorders. Furthermore, tail and fin rot disease has been detected in several fish farms, and the prevalence of this disease is expected to grow in recent years.

Water quality management is critical in aquaculture for disease prevention. However, the knowledge that the rural farmers possess to maintain their pond water quality is not adequate.

There is a wide range of issues with water quality in aquaculture systems. Maintaining the ideal culture conditions needed for fish health requires a precise balance of nutrients and other elements. Nonetheless, a majority of farmers fail to verify the water quality standards and never provide a rationale for whether their pond is appropriate for fish or shrimp farming.

Farmers employed various strategies, including the use of pesticides, lime, or antibiotics, in response to the diseases. Some farmers add salt to their ponds or modify the water. A few ceased to fertilize and feed the fish in ponds.

All of these steps are precautionary steps. Remarkably, a research reveals that most fish producers, when afflicted with diseases, prioritize using pesticides and antibiotics over alternative preventive methods.  

Antibiotics and insecticides are widely utilized and have a proven value in boosting fish output and averting illness outbreaks. The primary uses of aqua-chemicals are in the treatment and prevention of bacterial, fungal, and parasite diseases. They also serve as growth boosters and enhance the productivity of fish culture ponds by improving the water quality. 

However, it is the haphazard use that makes Antibiotic use in aquaculture questionable.

According to the research that involved in-person interviews with fish farmers in Bangladesh’s Rajshahi area, the farmers utilized nine active antibiotic components when raising finfish. Nonetheless, the majority of fish farmers (88%) lacked adequate understanding of antibiotics and aqua-chemicals, and 81% were not aware of the appropriate chemical dosages for fish farming.

In the research locations, a large number of fish producers reported using chemicals carelessly. Regarding the long-term impacts of aqua-chemicals on human health and the environment, 72% of fish farmers were unaware of them.

Aqua-chemicals can enter the human body through the food chain and are well acknowledged to have the potential to cause serious health problems, such as neurological, pulmonary, gastrointestinal, and reproductive issues.

Fish illnesses are less frequent at hatcheries where fish are raised in intensive or semi-intensive methods. The aquaria appropriately maintain the quality of their water and take precautions against fish illnesses.

Hormones, however, are another substance used in hatcheries that might endanger the security of food.

There are more than a thousand hatcheries spread out over the nation. Roughly 98% of the fish fries in the whole country come from these fish hatcheries.

These hatcheries have been producing more fish seed by using induced breeding techniques. Induced breeding refers to the technique of stimulating fish for reproduction by injecting hormones into their bodies.

Hormones are also employed in sex reversal and artificial reproduction. In order to increase growth rate or weight gain, the hormone utilized in fish farming for sex reversal attempts to produce monosex populations.

Research has shown that, Hormones can have negative effects similar to those of pesticides and antibiotics, including possible threats to human and environmental health due to hormone-dependent parameters.

Apart from aquaculture, industrial effluents pose a threat to wild fisheries resources. Bangladesh receives a significant volume of untreated industrial waste and wastewater every day into around 200 rivers.

The ground and surface water were poisoned by dangerously high amounts of lead, cadmium, arsenic, and chromium due to the direct dumping of tannery wastes. The typical fish and shellfish species that are consumed locally are also able to accumulate these contaminants due to river pollution. 

Numerous human problems, including cancer, renal damage, developmental delay or deformity, unpredictable behavior, etc., have been associated with these sounds.

Therefore, the question arises whether it is safe to eat fish and other seafood produced in Bangladesh.
As the research evidence suggests long term impact, Government must ensure the appropriate use of hormones and antibiotics in fish farms. Furthermore, operational effluent treatment plant must be set up in every industry so that release of toxic materials can be controlled. Additionally, rural farmers need to be well informed on the right usage of chemicals.

Jaber Bin Abdul Bari
Department of Oceanography, NSTU

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The International Centre for Ocean Development (ICOD) and the Ocean Institute of Canada (OIC) of Canada initially put forward the idea in 1992 during the Earth Summit – UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. World Ocean Day has been globally coordinated since 2002 by The Ocean Project. In 2008, “World Oceans Day” was formally acknowledged by the UN. The international day promotes public awareness of the need to safeguard the oceans and their significance in accomplishing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Oceans cover more than two-thirds of the planet. It is the wellspring of life for all living things on the planet, including humans. At least 50% of the oxygen on the earth is produced by the ocean. Most of the biodiversity on planet is found there. For more than a billion people around the world, it serves as their primary source of protein. The oceans control our climate. A large portion of the global economy is also supported by them, including industries like international shipping, fisheries, and tourism. Not to mention, our economy depends heavily on the water, with 40 million people expected to work in industries related to the ocean by 2030.

Despite all of its advantages, the ocean today requires assistance. The world’s oceans are under peril from plastic pollution, overfishing, and climate change. The amount of plastic trash bags that are dumped into the ocean each year is sufficient to cover all of the world’s coastlines five times over. According to National Geographic magazine, sea levels as deep as 2,300 feet, where the majority of ocean life lives, have been affected by the global rise of ocean temperatures caused by human-induced climate change. We are depleting the ocean faster than it can be restored, with 50% of coral reefs lost and 90% of major fish species gone.

However, there is still time and hope for things to change. By using less single-use plastic and properly disposing of our plastic debris, we can assist our ocean in reducing pollution. We should conserve water by limiting runoff and wastewater into the ocean, along with pollution, waste, oil, and energy usage. We should also fishing ethically and operate boats safely.

Everybody is reminded on World Oceans Day of the significant contribution oceans provide to daily life and the necessity for ocean conservation. The Day aims to raise public awareness of the effects of human activity on the ocean, create a global movement of ocean citizens, and mobilize and bring people together around a project for the sustainable management of the world’s oceans.

Around the world, the day is observed with a variety of environmental activities and events, such as beach clean-ups, educational programs, art competitions, and open lectures. Every year, a new subject for World Ocean Day is chosen to represent the problems and difficulties the seas are currently facing. Today is the “World Ocean Day 2023”, we in Bangladesh have joined the cause to save our coastlines and Bay of Bengal from the pollution and keep the life safe under water.

Farhana Islam
Agriculturist, Researcher
Fisheries Resource Management, CVASU

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