Protect water bodies, ensure sustainable fisheries: PM

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman today (16 August) called for greater public awareness and coordinated efforts to save rivers, canals, haors, beels and other water bodies from pollution, saying safeguarding the environment is essential to protecting the country's fisheries resources.

"If we are truly conscious and want to protect our environment, and if we want to save our fish, then we must also pay attention to protecting the environment. We must safeguard our natural environment," he said, pointing to the growing pollution of water bodies by plastic bottles, tissue paper and other waste.

The prime minister made the remarks while inaugurating National Fisheries Fortnight-2026 at the George Institute Mini Stadium in Achmita union of Katiadi upazila.

The fortnight is being observed across the country from August 16 to 30 under the theme "A self-sufficient country through silver fish, Bangladesh first."

Tarique Rahman said fisheries play a vital role in meeting the country's nutritional needs while creating employment through fish farming, catching, transportation, processing and marketing.

"There is a very important issue closely linked to fisheries that is the environment. For whatever reason, we are seeing that the environment of our canals, rivers, haors, beels and other water bodies is gradually being degraded by various forms of waste generated by our daily activities, including tissue paper, plastics and discarded water bottles," he said.

The prime minister said protecting the environment will enable people to live in a healthy environment, allow children to grow up in healthy surroundings, and help the country develop its fisheries and livestock sectors sustainably.

He urged everyone to work together to conserve aquatic resources, promote environment-friendly and sustainable fish farming and distribution, and increase fish production, harvesting and productivity so that Bangladesh can become a nutritious, self-reliant and prosperous country.

"To build such a Bangladesh, all of us must work with awareness, sincerity and dedication," Tarique Rahman said.

He also called for the restoration and productive use of the country's ponds, haors, beels and other water bodies to expand fish production, create employment and raise incomes, particularly among young people and marginalised communities.

"Bangladesh is a riverine country. There are opportunities to become self-reliant by using ponds, beels, haors, baors and other water bodies, or even small areas of land, for fish farming," the Prime Minister said.

At the inaugural programme, Tarique Rahman handed over the National Fisheries Medal (Gold Medal) to 14 individuals and organisations in 13 categories in recognition of their contributions to fisheries production, innovation, research, technology, conservation, exports and employment generation.

Highlighting the importance of the fisheries sector, he said it plays a vital role in increasing the incomes of marginalised people.

The prime minister said the government has decided to renovate unused water bodies across the country, release fish fry there and allocate those to local young people so that they can engage in fish farming and create employment.

He said he has already instructed State Minister for Fisheries and Livestock Sultan Salauddin Tuku to take necessary steps in this regard.

Tarique Rahman said Bangladesh earned more than Tk6,000 crore in foreign currency by exporting fish and fish products to around 52 countries in the 2025-26 fiscal year.

He credited entrepreneurs, traders, fish farmers and everyone involved in the sector with the achievement.

The prime minister said Bangladesh has significant potential to emerge as a major global producer of freshwater fish.

Citing a report published by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in June, he said Bangladesh ranked fifth globally in the production of aquatic animals, including fish, while it ranked second in the world in inland fish capture.

Tarique Rahman said planned efforts could create more employment in the fisheries sector while increasing foreign exchange earnings.

Referring to ongoing initiatives, he said the Department of Fisheries has formed 300 clusters in the Khulna region to promote cluster-based shrimp farming, resulting in more than doubling average production in around 7,500 farms.

The prime minister also said a master plan has been prepared to develop shrimp farming on around 7,000 acres of land in Chakaria upazila of Cox's Bazar, including infrastructure development.

He also highlighted government measures for the conservation and development of hilsa, describing it as not only Bangladesh's national fish and an economic asset but also a globally recognised Geographical Indication (GI) product.

Tarique Rahman said hilsa accounts for around 10% of the country's total fish production and more than 1% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

The government is also giving priority to the fisheries, livestock and aquatic-resource sectors because millions of Bangladeshis depend directly or indirectly on these activities, he said.

The prime minister said around 2 crore people, including 14 lakh women, are directly or indirectly dependent on the fisheries sector.

For this reason, he said the government considers ensuring the safety and uninterrupted development of the sector a major responsibility.

Tarique Rahman said fisheries, livestock and the blue economy have been placed among the government's priority sectors because millions of Bangladeshis remain connected to these activities as part of the country's traditional economic structure.

He said the government is committed to improving the livelihoods of fish farmers and fishermen.

The prime minister said fish farmers will be brought under the Farmers' Card programme, while registration and issuance of identity cards for fishermen are ongoing.

For the first time in the 2026-27 fiscal year, fishermen in the Sundarbans and haor regions have also been brought under the VGF programme during fishing bans, he said.

Tarique Rahman also called on entrepreneurs and businesses to explore new overseas markets for Bangladeshi products.

He said Bangladesh has exported hatching eggs to Nigeria for the first time in June and urged entrepreneurs to seek new export opportunities, assuring them of government support.

The prime minister also announced that the government has established a Tk500 crore startup fund to encourage technology-driven employment, research, innovation and the development of a knowledge-based economy.

He said promising startups will receive grants ranging from Tk5 lakh to Tk5 crore, stressing that the assistance will be provided as grants, not loans.

Tarique Rahman urged young entrepreneurs to take advantage of the opportunity.

National Fisheries Fortnight will feature rallies, discussions, seminars, fish fairs, fish-fry releases, technology exhibitions, awareness campaigns and programmes to honour successful fish farmers across the country.

The programmes aim to promote safe fish production, sustainable management of fisheries resources, modern farming technologies and awareness of the nutritional value of fish.

Fisheries and Livestock Minister Mohammed Aminur Rashid chaired the inaugural programme.

State Minister Tuku, State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives Mir Shahe Alam, State Minister for Textiles and Jute Md Shariful Alam, Kishoreganj-2 MP Md Jalal Uddin, Fisheries and Livestock Secretary Delwar Hossain and Department of Fisheries Director General Md Khaled Kanak, among others, attended the event.

Earlier in the day, the prime minister released fish fry into the old Brahmaputra River in Pakundia, visited the Katiadi Carp Hatchery Complex and exchanged greetings with local people.

Following the fisheries programme, he is scheduled to inaugurate a tree-planting programme at Sholakia Eidgah and attend a Family Card distribution programme at Kishoreganj Stadium.