Fisheries and Livestock Adviser Farida Akhter has said that animal feed must not be used as fish feed under any circumstances. A provision restricting the use of animal feed as fish feed will be included in the upcoming National Fisheries Policy 2025, she said.

The Adviser said this on Monday (June 23) at a stakeholder consultation workshop on the draft National Fisheries Policy 2025 at the conference room of the Cotton Development Board, a press release by the ministry said.

Adviser Farida Akhter underscored the importance of preserving mangrove ecosystems, saying, “Shrimp farming must not flourish at the cost of mangrove destruction. Instead, we must explore sustainable models that protect these vital coastal habitats.”

The Fisheries and Livestock Adviser stated that illegal fishing could not be stopped by destroying the dragnets, but rather, stringent restrictions should be imposed on the import of dragnet materials.

Adviser Farida expressed concern over the influx of harmful foreign fish species into the country, often facilitated by the private sector.

“Those invasive species, once released into the ecosystem, tend to devour everything in their own ways. Then the concerned authorities come with the order for their elimination,” she lamented.

“This type of situation could have been avoided if action had been taken to discourage their import from the very beginning,” she said.

Highlighting the importance of safeguarding the livelihoods of the fishermen, the Adviser stressed the need for clear social protection measures in the National Fisheries Policy 2025.

She recommended categorizing fishermen based on the nature of their job to provide them with suitable support and safety.

Adviser Farida Akhter noted that the fisheries sector is often regarded as a sub-sector of agriculture in many cases. But, despite being a vital part of the economy, the fisheries sector often gets less attention than agriculture in getting subsidies and financial support or government incentives, she said.

The Adviser called for an end to this disparity and urged the clear outlining of the rights and benefits of fishermen in the upcoming policy.

With Director General of Department of Fisheries Dr. Md. Abdur Rouf in the chair, FAO Representative in Bangladesh Jiaoqun Shi, officials of Department of Fisheries, Department of Agricultural Extension, Department of Disaster Management, academics, leaders of the National Fishermen's Cooperative Association, and representatives of Bangladesh Fish Farms Association were present at the event.

FAO's National Project Coordinator, Dr. Md. Abul Hasnat, delivered the welcome speech at the workshop, while Md. Shamsu Uddin, Project Director of Community-Based Climate Resilient Fisheries and Aquaculture Development in Bangladesh, presented the draft of the National Fisheries Policy 2025.