Govt allows no artificial Hilsa farming: ministry

Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock on Monday said that the government gave no approval for artificial or indoor culture of Hilsa fish in Bangladesh. An official release of the ministry said that various newspapers, online news portals and social media platforms had recently published a report on indoor or artificial farming of Hilsa. In this context, the ministry has reviewed the matter with due importance. The release said that a meeting on indoor farming of Hilsa and various marine fisheries under Re-circulating Aquaculture System was held in the ministry on Sunday with adviser Farida Akhtar in the chair. Senior officials from the ministry of fisheries and livestock, the Department of Fisheries and the Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute were present. The meeting observed that Hilsa is an important Geographical Indication product of Bangladesh. Hilsa is deeply intertwined with the country’s riverine and coastal natural ecosystems, food security, heritage and the livelihoods ...