A Strategy on increase production and marketing of Mola and other Small Indigenous Species of Fish (SIS) in Bangladesh

Abstract

Small indigenous species (SIS) of fish occupy a large number in the fish diversity of Bangladesh and which about more than 150 species. To overcome the undernutrition in Bangladesh, SIS are considered the most important source of macro and micronutrients. Considering the importance of SIS, current strategies of small fish production were reviewed and developed strategies for increasing small fish production and marketing in Bangladesh under the project ‘Aquaculture: increasing income, diversifying diets, and empowering women in Bangladesh and Nigeria’ in 2020. Among the small fishes in Bangladesh, mola is extremely rich in micronutrients and can play a vital role in the aquaculture. Various research findings showed the effectiveness of mola culture technology along with carp polyculture. The production technology of mola and other SIS have promoted in many projects of WorldFish (e.g. IFAD funded Small Fish and Nutrition Project, CSISA-BD project, AIN project, CBRMP-LGED project, ANEP, Odisha-WorldFish Project and Assam APART Project in India) and found greater success in mola production. Based on the research findings and experience of different projects of WorldFish, the followings are the key strategies for the promotion of SIS particularly mola (i) production and supply of broodstock of mola and other SIS, (ii) incorporate mola broodfish in the fish seed supply chain, (iii) mola nursery, based on hatchery-produced spawn, (iv) farming of mola with carp polyculture. Under this project, mola and other SIS scaling strategies are (i) awareness meeting, workshop and seminar on importance of culture on mola-SIS with carps and identify LSPs, (ii) organize ToT program, (iii) develop communication products, (iv) establish source of mola broodstock, (v) mola in the project models on polyculture in ponds (vi) criteria of farmer selection, (vii) involvement of LSPs, (viii) embedded service by LSPs, (ix) mola processing and cooking demonstration and (x) setup research trials to incorporate mola broodfish in fish seed supply chain and to establish commercially viable induced breeding and nursing technology in hatchery.